The Forestry Bureau has announced regulations to protect trees of ecological, historic or aesthetic importance, the first national regulations to preserve non-forest trees.
The regulations are part of revisions to the Forestry Act (森林法) last year, which specify criteria according to which local governments can include trees grown on non-forest areas, including on private land, to their preservation lists.
The criteria include trees that are more than 100 years old or give shade to an area of more than 400m2, as well as plantations that have regional significance or the existence of which is considered advantageous to local biodiversity.
The criteria are invested with modern conservation concepts to preserve plantations with significant aesthetic, historic or educational value, as well as trees that are connected to local communities or religions, bureau conservation division director Kuan Li-hao (管立豪) said.
The iconic “Takeshi Kaneshiro tree” — named after the Taiwanese-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro (Jin Cheng-wu, 金城武) — in Taitung County’s Chihshang Township (池上) could be included in the county government’s preservation list because of its cultural value, Kuan said.
Trees lining roads and in private gardens could also be protected if residents file an application with local governments to include the trees in a census, which regulations stipulate should be held every five years, to determine whether they should be included on the preservation list.
Protected trees cannot be removed from the list unless they pose a public safety risk or develop diseases, the bureau said.
In cases of urban renewal plans that require the removal of protected trees, a task force is to be organized to assess the feasibility of the renewal plan and tree removal, it added.
The regulations were announced following protests against the controversial handling of trees, including the removal of trees surrounding the Taipei Dome complex that gave rise to a series of demonstrations in 2014 and last year.
According to the Forestry Act, unauthorized handling of trees may incur a maximum fine of NT$600,000 and government officials who fail to recognize a tree as worthy of protection would be punished.
The regulations are due to take effect in the first half of this year, the bureau said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese