Hanoi likely removes old, rotten, and bad-shaping trees and plants new ones to ensure the cityscape, traffic safety, and environmental protection.
| Treefall caused an accident in Hanoi in late September after heavy rains. Photo: The Hanoi Times |
The move is included in the draft regulation on city-wide tree administration by the Hanoi People’s Committee, which is open for public consultation.
Accordingly, the city will remove all old, rotting, decaying, and out-of-shape trees, plant new trees, and ensure they fit into the surroundings.
For the project to be approved by the local authorities, the investor must submit a dossier on the trees' type, standard, protection, and care method, ensuring adequate spacing as regulated. The tree must be planted between the two houses, not in front of the gate or the facade of a house or building.
Along barriers and at intersections, trees should be tall and large enough to ensure traffic safety and the visibility of traffic signs and lights.
According to specialists, replacing old and rotten trees to avoid possible accidents is necessary, but the trees must be carefully examined before falling.
According to Assoc. Prof. and Dr. Tran Hop, a former biology lecturer at the University of Natural Sciences under the Vietnam National University – HCM City, trees are essential for environmental protection and ecological development. Trees can also provide value in science and inspiration for artistic creation.
“Big old trees are the iconic symbol of Hanoi. The city needs to take care of the trees and examine them regularly for preservation,” local media cited him.
To ensure safety, urban sanitation companies should conduct regular checks on the physical conditions and pay attention to the age of the trees, he said.
“The older the tree is, the weaker its body and roots are, and the risky it becomes to society. Thus we need a proper plan to take care of the trees,” Hop suggested.
Whenever there is a construction site, workers should be careful not to cut the tree's roots to avoid possible felling accidentally, he said.
Dong Da District to remove 80 milkwood pines The Dong Da District People’s Committee has consulted the Hanoi Department of Construction on removing 80 milkwood pines on Nguyen Chi Thanh Road as per the request of the people. The district authorities said that the milkwood pines give off an unpleasant odor and physical discomfort to people living along the road. In response, the Hanoi Department of Construction said Dong Da District should develop a plan to remove the milkwood pines. As tree removal is a sensitive social issue, the district authorities should also ask for the opinion of the residents. On the district's suggestion to move milkwood pines to parks, the Construction Department said the district should evaluate practical park conditions and tree density to avoid a strong odor in the air. In case too many trees cannot be replanted in the city, the Department of Construction recommended that Dong Da District work with the Hanoi Infrastructure Management Center to plant milkwood pines around the Xuan Son waste treatment plant in Hanoi's outlying district of Soc Son. |
