Climate change, or global warming, has made tree conservation, including transplantation, an important issue. For example, on Jan. 3 New Taipei City Councilor Chen Chi-neng (陳啟能) told reporters that roadside trees have obstructed the gate of Bihua Elementary School in Sanchong District (三重) for 44 years, and he urged the city government to transplant the trees.
The school principal said that the trees do not hinder vehicles going in and out of the school, but added that he would respect whatever decision the authorities make.
The issue of whether trees should be transplanted would make a good subject of discussion for environmental education. It would be best if there could be more channels of communication and discussion, because trees are vital to the ecosystem, and trees and plants can attract and provide habitats for fungi, microbes, insects, birds and even larger animals.
Trees also photosynthesize to generate oxygen, which is necessary to sustain life. They can mitigate air pollution and reduce its harmful effect on humans, and they can moderate the temperature in urban environments.
Many cities and counties have local ordinances that encourage tree conservation. However, due to a variety of factors, different stakeholders tend to have different opinions about the issue of planting, transplanting and conserving trees.
The problem is that, although people feel very idealistic when they plant trees, they are not averse to transplanting or felling trees when they get in their way.
These contrasting attitudes make one wonder whether the idealism that existed when the trees were planted has disappeared. It is therefore important to think about how to incorporate tree transplantation as a part of environmental education.
When considering whether and how trees should be transplanted, the following three questions, at least, need to be clarified.
First is why the trees need to be transplanted. Some people want trees to be transplanted because they “are obstructing traffic.” However, many cases show that traffic obstacles can actually protect pedestrians, because when vehicles come across trees they have to slow down. A tree can also act as a shield that prevents vehicles from directly hitting people, animals or other objects.
Furthermore, apart from sentimental and historical considerations, some people want trees to be preserved because, as aforementioned, they are helpful to the environment and ecosystem.
Second, where should the trees be moved? Before transplanting a tree, one must first think about where it is going to be replanted and whether the environment is suitable for its survival.
It might have taken a lot of effort to plant that tree decades or even more than a century ago. Apart from the cost involved, some of the tree’s roots or branches might have to be lopped off during the transplantation, which could cripple or kill it. An ecologist once made a deep impression on me when he said that cutting a tree’s branches is like cutting off somebody’s arm, causing it serious injury and even threatening its existence.
Third, what kind of changes will transplanting a tree bring about? If a tree has been somewhere for 10 or 100 years, transplanting it might alter many people’s collective memories.
For example, the centuries-old trees at National Cheng Kung University’s Banyan Tree Garden are not just part of the collective memory of former students at the Tainan-based university, but also an important cultural asset of the city, which used to be the seat of Taiwan’s government.
Two years ago, Typhoon Soudelor caused one of the old banyan trees to split in three. This aroused the collective concern of the school’s alumni, with the outcome that the university obtained a banyan conservation fund of NT$5 million (US$169,136).
So, transplanting trees can change or have an impact on the lives and lifestyles of the animals, including humans, that live around them.
For various reasons, people might not be willing to voice their opinions, especially opposing views, when there are calls for trees to be transplanted. Such people could well be in the majority — the silent majority, that is. If there are not enough channels of communication, it could leave many feeling frustrated and helpless. More importantly, there would be a lack of diversity in voices and opinions.
Trees are living organisms, but they cannot express opinions. The way we treat trees, like the way we treat the ecosystem, can influence interpersonal communication and interactions. It would therefore be a good idea to use tree transplantation to create settings in which everyone stands to gain by creating numerous platforms for communication and discussion about the planting, transplanting and maintenance of trees.
That is why we should see tree transplantation as a subject for environmental education, especially in a case such as the one mentioned earlier, where there is a proposal to transplant old trees growing in front of an elementary school.
Platforms should be provided not only so that members of the public who want the trees to be moved can participate, but also for the school’s teachers, staff and students, especially the children and former students, to be able to voice their views.
In the process of discussion, they could become aware of the trees’ existence and the connections between the trees in front of the school and themselves, and it could open up more room for imagination about planting and transplanting trees in and around the school.
Yang Yung-nane is a professor at National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Political Science.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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