Text & Photos: Kami Hui, Conservation Manager of The Conservancy Association
We have been planting trees in Ma On Kong, Tai Lam Country Park for more than a decade. Back then, it was a bare mountain. We carried baskets and baskets of tree seedlings and climbed over the hills to reach the plantation. The planted seedlings included both exotic and native species. Each time we went to a plantation site, upon arrival, we would find a spot, clear the weeds, dig a hole, put the seedling and soil into the hole, fill the hole and … done!
Afterwards, every few months, we would go back to the plantations to measure the seedlings, to check if they had grown taller or “fat”*. In the past decade and more, the seedlings have been through drought, heat, and cold; not to mention a number of hill fires. The trees have grown to 10m tall, the area has become a forest and we are deeply grateful when we see them from far away. In more recent years, an area in the mountain has been marked as the Plantation Enrichment Programme (PEP); more native species have been planted here to increase the local biodiversity. The sweat and hard work that everyone has contributed to the countryside all these years have nourished the forest.
However, on 4 December 2019 there was another hill fire in this area. We were all a nervous wreck when we saw the fire sparks on the news. We couldn’t wait to go up the mountain the next day after the hill fire ended to check the situation. We were met with flying ash that flew up when we stepped on the burned soil, white smoke smoldering from the wood and a burnt smell. We were heartbroken by this severe fire that rendered the forest a piece of grey white land. 70% of the 10-year old trees were burned down from this hill fire, and those young tree seedlings in the PEP area were either burned or dried out from the heat of fire.
Hill fire is the number one enemy of forests. According to the Statistics from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, there were 25, 17 and 23 hill fires inside or threatening Country Parks in 2020, 2019 and 2018 respectively. Meanwhile, the Statistical Information from the Fire Services Department shows that there were 1,045 and 991 hill fires (including those not inside country parks) in 2018 and 2017 respectively. The hill fires in Hong Kong are all caused by human activities. There are many ways to start a spark: it could be caused by grave sweepers or by a lit cigarette. The fire could spread around the mountain and become uncontrollable if it happens in dry seasons.
That day, on our way up to the mountain, we found a cigarette box and more than a dozen cigarette butts.
The woods are our precious natural resources, as well as the habitat of many wildlife. Just like the saying, “It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to rear a person”, a plantation needs at least 10 years to become a forest but it only needs one night to burn it down. We urge everyone not to start a fire or smoke when you are walking in the woods, grave sweepers are suggested to use flowers to replace burning joss paper in order to avoid leaving unattended sparks in the mountain. Preventing hill fires is more important than planting trees after hill fires, the growth of forests relies on everyone’s care and love.
* “Fat” means the diameter of the tree bottom got thicker.
2007- The bare mountain, when the tree seedlings are about to arrive!
2008 – The trees are growing.
2009 – The plantation after hill fire.
2012 – After several times of tree planting, the tree seedlings are finally settled.
2017 – It takes ten years to grow a tree.
4 December 2019 – During the dry weather, a hill fire once again happened in Tai Lam which covered an area of 700 meters long. We went up to the mountain after the fire and found trees and soils were burnt.
March 2020 – Revisit to the plantation but even trees that were over 10 years old cannot make it through that severe hill fire.