12 more trees officially categorised as “old and valuable” – and mainly located in Coloane and Taipa – are now on the city’s protection list, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in a statement yesterday.
The statement pointed out that the 12 trees, aged between 101 and 140 years old, are of six species, comprising Mock Bodh, Chinese Hackberry, Mango, Camphor, Soap Nut and Cotton trees, which have been classified by the National Afforestation Environmental Protection Commission as Grade 3 old trees, i.e., trees between 100 and 299 years of age.
Among the dozen trees, according to the statement, the oldest one is the Mock Bodh tree in front of the Tam Kung Temple in Coloane, which has reached the age of 140.
The statement noted that three other old and valuable trees, namely the Persimmon-leaved Litsea on Colina da Ilha Verde, which had withered due to wood decay, as well as the Candlenut Tree in Guia Hill Municipal Park and Rose Apple Tree in Seac Pai Van Park, which had withered even after treatment for diseases and pests, have meanwhile been removed from the protection list.
Right now, the number of old and valuable trees on the list totals 654.
In terms of the protection of the old trees, the bureau underlined in the statement that it has set up an inspection and maintenance programme based on the health conditions of individual old and valuable trees, according to which the bureau continuously monitors the overall health conditions of old and valuable trees, while also carrying out inspections, pruning, maintenance and various kinds of treatment of such trees in a timely manner.
This undated handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows the 140-year-old Mock Bodh tree in front of Tam Kung Temple in Coloane Village.
