Department:
Landscape Architecture
Active Dates: January 2010 – 2017
Project team:
P-I: Matthew Pryor, HKU
Co-I: Dr. Gary Watson, Head of Research, Moreton Arboretum, Champaign Illinois, USA; Li Wei – Research Associate, HKU
Project funding:
Tree Transplanting Metrics. General Research Fund.
Abstract:
From the outset, Hong Kong has had a highly compact urban form. Green spaces within the city have typically been very small and infrequent, street corridors are highly contested environments (in plan and section). Huge spatial and operational challenges have to be overcome in order to maintain any significant greenery or urban forest. This research initiative explores a broad spectrum of technical and operational issues involved in establishing and sustaining trees in high density cities. It includes separate studies on the production, planting, arboricultural maintenance, protection of trees and transplanting of street trees in high density urban environments, and addresses the historical perspective, the underlying arboricultural science of trees in the street and the development of best practice standards. Although focused on Hong Kong, the outputs of the studies are directly relevant to many high density cities in tropical and sub-tropical climates.
Outcomes and outputs:
Academic publications
Pryor, M. and Watson, G. Mature Tree Transplanting: Science Supports Best Management Practice. (in print) Arboricultural Journal. DOI: 10.1080/03071375.2016.1157401.
Pryor, M., Street Tree Planting in Hong Kong in the Early Colonial Period (1842-98). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. Vol 55. http://www.royalasiaticsociety.org.hk/
Pryor, M. A tree preservation ordinance for Hong Kong: An historical note. Yuan Lin 2015. http://www.hkila.com/v2/file/news-pdf300.pdf
Pryor, M. and Li, W. (2015). Aerial roots of Ficus microcarpa. Yuan Lin, Journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects.
Conference papers and other publications
Pryor, M. (2014). Extreme Arboriculture: Lessons from moving big trees. In proceedings of Trees People and the Built Environment II conference p196-209. Institute of Chartered Foresters. Birmingham UK. (April 2015) <http://www.charteredforesters.org/tpbeii-proceedings/>
Pryor, M. (2014) The challenge of planting trees on slopes in Hong Kong. 7th Annual International Arboriculture Summit – Hong Kong. (November 2014)
Pryor, M. Demystifying Tree Transplanting. In proceedings of IASHK Seminar Hong Kong, (November 2012).
Pryor, M. (2012). Street Tree Planting (Ch.7) and Street Tree Establishment & Maintenance (CH.8). In Development Bureau HKSAR, Comprehensive Street Tree Management Plan for Hong Kong (confidential report).
Pryor, M. Model Specification for tree transplanting and related works in Hong Kong. (2015) Open source publication on research website
Invited lectures
Applied Research
Invited technical expert for the following high profile tree protection projects. All work was peer-reviewed by professional and academic experts.
Anticipated Further Outputs
Quotation / endorsement:
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.”
William Blake, 1799, The Letters
Awards for this research: