Lei Shih-sheng (雷時生), one of only five arborists in Taiwan, on Saturday climbed a 40 year-old camphor tree in the Tainan City Government’s central plaza to rid the tree of a scale insect (Aulacaspis yabunikkei) infestation.
Before the climb, Lei lowered his head and held his palms together to pray, saying it was his habit before starting a job, in honor of the work and nature.
After checking his equipment, Lei ascended the 13m-tall tree and started pruning it.
Photo: CNA
“If you never climb to the top, the beauty seen from the treetops will never be yours,” he said.
Lei, who is more than 60 years old, worked as a mechanical engineer before becoming an arborist.
He said he had been the managing director of the Taipei Guest House and that was when he first developed an interest in trees.
When an oak tree on the property fell it was diagnosed with a disease that had caused it to rot, Lei said, adding that he begun to devote his spare time to researching trees and their diseases.
He traveled to Hong Kong to train to be an arborist and has an Industrial Rope Access Trade Association certification, and has continued to develop his climbing skills since he obtained the certificate.
An arborist must have knowledge of trees and pests, and be skilled at using a chain saw and other equipment while dangling in the air, he said.
How much force to use and which angle to cut branches and trees at are different from operations conducted on the ground, Lei said, adding that only practice can help people gain such skills and minimize risks.
It is a difficult job, and bug bites, hot temperatures and rain would deter people who are not interested in the work, Lei said.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “[we] appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe