Old Tree Preservation

Trees can cleanse the air and help to conserve soil and water and stabilize the environment. Their contribution to the ecosystem is great. Old trees have an especially intimate relationship with people’s lifestyles and religious beliefs in early days. They have great humanistic and community-awareness value. In recent years, people have taken old tree protection work more seriously. In order for us to integrate the domestic old tree preservation information, since 2004, we started implementing the Precious Old Trees Plan. A total of 22 counties and cities were involved. The plan includes comprehensive old tree inspections, establishing of complete information, advocacy of old-tree concepts, habitat improvement, and disease and insect control and prevention or management. As of end of 2015, 16 county and city governments had stipulated related self-governance regulations regarding old tree protection according to local laws. On July 1, 2015, we also added articles regarding tree protection in the Forestry Act. Local competent authorizes should conduct inspections on the trees within their jurisdiction. The trees under protection should be tabulated and announced. On May 27, 2016, we implemented the Standards of Tree Inspection Methods and Protected Tree Determination Outside Forests. This stipulates that, every five years, competent authorities in the municipality should conduct inspection on the woods, sidewalk trees and single plants outside forests. People also have the chance to participate. The protected trees are inspected or reported for evaluation by competent authorities in the municipality. Anyone can provide related evidence and report to the competent authorities within the jurisdiction of the trees, and go through the procedures of approval for protected trees, so that all of the trees in this country can receive the protection they need.