DB Green

Hi all,

The first tree planting day was a great success and I’ll enclose John’s email to you all below. It really was a great day- I was able to make it in the end and really enjoyed the process- it was so exciting to see Johns proposal come to life and fabulous to see how many kiddies were helping. I look forward to seeing more of you on the next days. A big thanks to John, his family and team members for organising this and HKR for their help with the logistics (and a couple of hard workers on the day).

We’re not done yet though and we are looking at 2 dates for April- Sunday the 6th of April and Sunday the 13th April. Possibly also a further date in May- we’ll see how we go. What exactly we do on those days will depend on the weather, how much rain we have between now and then and the time available for staking out the remaining area to be done. What we will plan on doing at this stage is letting you and the public know a few days before the 6th and the 13th so watch this space.
All, and any help would be great, even for just watering the trees that we planted last weekend. With that in mind if you are walking in the area John has left 2 buckets at the ‘base station’ (hill on the left of the dirt road to the Lookout) which you could fill up with water from the stream and water any newly planted trees if they are looking a little dry. He says a couple of cups will do each plant and be careful not to stand on other new plants as some are hard to see and blend in with the surrounding shrubs.

All donations will be gratefully received on these days and if you can’t make it but would like to donate please send your pledge to treeplantingpledge@dbgreen.org We have about 20% of our bill so far. At this point we are still avoiding corporate sponsorship in favour of residents who have an ongoing stake in the area and will feel more protective over it- however we may open it up next year for further sponsorship- especially if we increase the amount of trees.
Heeere’s John………..

Dear All,

The fung shui woodland tree planting project got off to a good start. On the 15th we took about 350 seedlings/saplings up the hill in the Hong Kong Resort Company truck. Over the course of the day about 40 people (both adults and children) took part in the planting. By the end of the day a total of 246 seedlings/saplings had been planted. The species were all native to Hong Kong and included:-
• Turn in the Wind (Mallotus paniculatus) – a fast growing medium sized tree,
• Scarlet Sterculia (Sterculia lanceolata) – a small tree with small red flowers,
• Reevesia (Reevesia thyrsoidea) – a small evergreen tree with white tubular flowers,
• Thick-Leaved Oak (Cyclobalanopsis edithiae) – a fast growing medium sized tree,
• Chinese Hackberry (Celtis sinensis) – a medium sized deciduous tree with orange fruit,
• Lingnan Garcinia (Garcinia oblongifolia) – a medium sized evergreen tree with small yellow flowers,
• Gordonia (Gordonia axillaris) – a medium sized evergreen tree with large white flowers,
• Chinese Banyan ( Ficus microcarpa) – a large spreading fig tree with aerial roots that later form prop roots.

In addition HKD $3,630 plus CNY 270 was raised on the day in donations. The money will go towards refunding Hanne and JP from BCC Pacific who underwrote the purchase of the seedlings from Kadoorie Farm. The initial order from Kadoorie Farm was for 820 seedlings, however, when we arrived on the 7th of March to collect the plants they gave us approximately 100 additional seedlings at no extra cost.

Throughout the process, Hong Kong Resorts and the staff involved have been very helpful; in collecting the plants from Kadoorie Farm on the 7th, in the storing and caring of the seedlings at their nursery and by providing logistical support for the planting on the 15th. The company has supplied:-
• Truck for transportation,
• Pick axes, spades, hand trowels for planting,
• Buckets for watering,
• Table and chairs,
• Umbrella,
• Stakes, plant ties and fertiliser,
• Drinking water,
• Rubbish bags.

Further rounds of planting for the remaining 650 seedlings are planned after a reasonable amount of rain has fallen in the hills. These will be publized at the appropriate time and the residents of DB will be invited to participate.

Regards,
John.

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I received the following email from Eleanor- lets all have a go at switching things off Saturday night!! There are lots of ideas on the website of what you can do in your home or business….

Something else to pass one on to you!!

This Saturday, individuals and cities around the world will switch off their lights for one hour at 8 PM in their respective time zones as part of Earth Hour 2008, a global campaign aimed at drawing attention to the issue of global climate change.

You can contribute to the effort by turning off your electrical items on Saturday (29 March 2008).

More information on the campaign is on the internet at www.earthhour.org.

Best wishes

Eleanor

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DB Green is currently undertaking a tree planting and reforestation project under the guidance of DB resident John Horwood. This is a community lead initiative. The area that we will be planting is in a conservation area so the plants cannot be cut down or built on. John is very committed to making this a project that is owned, not in a financial sense as such, but as a small part of DB that belongs to the people of DB. As all the hard work and effort of creating and planting this forest, and the funds contributed to pay for all the plants come from those involved in the project, it is a unique way to be a part of your local community. Please read below John’s article explaining his reasoning and goals for the project …

6,000 years ago Hong Kong and the South China coast were covered by broad-leaved evergreen forests. The archaeological records show scattered coastal settlements in Hong Kong, which slowly increased over time. Written records for the region start with the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) and these show quite large Cantonese populations in the Hong Kong area. After the ‘coastal evacuations’ of 1662 -1669 the Hakka arrived. With coastal areas and valleys already occupied the Hakka were forced to clear and cultivate hillsides and other marginal areas. The wide spread establishment of Hakka settlements saw the final transformation of a forested landscape with some cleared patches into the treeless grass covered hills subsequently reported by early European visitors.

The current Hong Kong countryside is the result of centuries of human impact. While still surprisingly species rich in some places, it is a pale reflection of the diversity and abundance found in the former prehistoric landscape. The indigenous flora and fauna of Hong Kong need a ‘home’ as do people in Hong Kong.

A FENG SHUI WOOD FOR DISCOVERY BAY

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese practice of positioning objects in harmony with nature. Its origins are based on respect for the environment and a belief that cosmological influences strongly affect people’s lives.
Feng shui woodlands are one facet of this ancient practice. They were usually established behind (and mostly above) villages and consisted of both planted trees and remnants of the original forest. Traditionally, the woods were an important aspect of village agriculture as they provided shelter, safety and were a source of natural resources. Feng shui woods can still be found in Hong Kong today. In fact some of the most luxuriant conservation areas are old feng shui woods.

THE SITE

The site is 1 km to the west of the Discovery Bay residential area and 200 metres north of the Discovery Bay Reservoir. The site has an undeveloped stream catchment area. The site is behind and above Discovery Bay’s residential area making it ideal for the creation of a feng shui woodland reserve:-

• Allowing the site to regenerate both naturally and by the planting of indigenous species will increase the diversity of the flora and fauna and in doing so help to preserve some of Hong Kong’s natural heritage for future generations. In particular for the eastern half of Lantau Island where there is more grassland and less woodland than most other rural areas in Hong Kong.
• A rich green woodland with clear running water, birds, butterflies and other small animals immediately accessible to Discovery Bay will add an aesthetic dimension, providing an enriching experience for people.
• A forest provides a natural filtration system ensuring a clean source of water for recreation. A popular natural swimming hole and picnic area used by Discovery Bay residents is located at the confluence of the stream draining the site and the Discovery Bay Reservoir Stream.
• Experience in Hong Kong has shown the quickest way to establish native woodlands are to plant a mixture of native species. Consideration needs to be given to those species that provide benefits to the fauna in terms of food and shelter and those pioneer species able to grow on marginal land.
• The development of the animal community is determined by the structure and composition of the plant community. Increasing the vegetation cover attracts more fauna by increasing the variety of habitats and food available. New arrivals will include frugivorous birds carrying seeds in their guts, which further increases the diversification of the plant community.

Tree Planting Location

THE FUTURE

The restoration of a woodland/stream habitat on the site could lead to specific conservation projects. For example the spectacular birdwing butterflies, the Golden Birdwing Butterfly (Troides aeacus) and the Common Birdwing Butterfly (Troides helena), are both native to Hong Kong and are increasingly threatened by habitat destruction. The sole food source for both these butterflies during the caterpillar stages of their development is the Indian Birthwort (Aristolochia tagala). The Indian Birthwort grows in semi-shaded environments and needs trees to climb up as it’s a woody climber.

John Horwood

We held one test run of the tree planting day on Saturday 15th of March 10-4pm which went really well with over 300 trees planted. We anticiapte staging a larger event in April attracting not only DB Green members but also the wider community. HKR assisted us with the transportation of the seedlings and the use of their equipment.

More details to follow soon.

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