A camphor tree in Taipei that is more than 70 years old was saved by a group of students from National Taiwan University and nearby residents on Saturday when a developer was about to clear it from a piece of land in order to start the construction of a new apartment building.
The old camphor tree is among a line of old trees on Hsuchow Road that sit on a piece of land that a developer has acquired for construction.
The developer held a briefing in May, explaining that it wanted to remove the tree and transplant it elsewhere in the city. Residents and the faculty and students of the university, however, said that the removal of the camphor tree would spoil the “green tunnel” formed by trees along the road.
Several protests have been held over the past few months whenever the developer has sent workers to remove the tree, the ownership of which is ambiguous.
Green Party Taiwan Secretary-General Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) said the tree should be considered public property. The developer, however, has argued that as the owner of the land, the company is entitled to remove the tree.
The developer has complained that the construction project has been delayed for months, which has caused the company serious losses. The firm is hoping that the city authorities will make a decision on whether the tree can be moved as soon as possible.
For now, the camphor tree is safe because under a city bylaw, it cannot be touched until the Bureau of Public Works issues an approval to the developer. So far, the developer has not received written permission from the bureau stating that it can remove the tree, Pan said.
Despite the enactment of the Taipei City Tree Protection Bylaw (台北市樹木保護自治條例) in April 2003, many old trees in the metropolitan area have been uprooted, with some being transplanted, in recent years by developers.
Under the tree protection bylaw, trees that are more than 50 years old and those with a total girth exceeding 15m or a height exceeding 15m are protected.
Uprooting a protected tree for whatever purpose needs the approval of the city government’s Bureau of Public Works. Usually authorities approve cases where proper arrangements for transplantation have been made.
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