Trees planted for aesthetic and environmental reasons by local authorities nationwide are now becoming a source of danger to unsuspecting people.

With the present monsoon season in full swing resulting in heavy downpours and thunderstorms there is an increasing risk of trees falls.

In Kuala Lumpur, one person has been killed in Persiaran Dutamas and a woman has been injured in Kepong Baru due to falling trees and branches.

Whenever trees fall and crush vehicles or kill and injure people, numerous letters will be published in the media about the danger trees pose and what needs to be done and so on, but hardly any one mentions about the negligence and incompetence of the tree pruning contractors who are the main culprits.

The government, through the local authorities and other relevant public departments such as the JKR, spends millions of ringgit for the tree pruning programs throughout the country.

There are a large number of dangerous trees in the jurisdiction of DBKL, MBPJ, MBSA and other local authorities in Selangor.

There are lots of trees with low branches hovering over the roads and they are a danger to container trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles.

Local authorities turn a blind eye to all of these including trees blocking signboards.

In some places, trees are a nuisance as their roots break the walls and drains and the year-round shedding of leaves creates a major municipal problem.

A lot of urban trees are too big with heavy trunks and branches, some tilting, some with weak root systems and they can easily crash or be uprooted during strong winds and rainstorms.

Quite a number of fatalities and serious injuries resulting from tree falling mishaps have occurred in the last few years.

Scores have been injured and some have escaped death miraculously.

Damage to property runs into the millions of ringgit. As such the problem associated with urban trees needs to get the close serious attention of the government and authorities.

Local authorities who give out the contracts hardly monitor the work of the tree pruners.

One need not be a qualified arborist or landscapist to know about the danger the tree poses.

Plain commonsense would be enough. Just a look at the tree and assessing the site where it is, should be enough for a competent contractor as to which branches need to loped off and how much pruning needs to be done and how much the height/crown of the tree needs to be reduced to prevent it becoming a danger.

Contractors can be seen just trimming the small branches and twigs when in fact they should lop off the heavy branches that are weighty and become dangerous especially during thunderstorms.

Contractors are profit oriented and want to cut costs as the more branches and trunks are pruned the more the number of branch crushers, RORO (Roll-On Roll-Off) bins and dumpsters needed for their disposal.

RORO bins cost about RM200 to 300 per trip to dispose of the pruned branches, trunks, leaves twigs etc.

To make it worse, there will hardly be any local authority official to monitor the pruning.

All these make tree pruning being incompetently and foolishly done despite the high expenses paid by the government.

A lot of old trees in towns and cities—some planted before Merdeka by the British—need to be felled and if possible, replaced with proper trees that do not become a danger in urban areas.

Trees in urban areas especially cities have weak root systems due to drains, concrete surfaces and roads and have lopsided growth due to poor sunlight.

During rain storms the gusty winds find an outlet through the roads as other areas are blocked by buildings and other structures.

It is mainly on the road divider and the road reserve where most of the urban trees can be found and these trees cannot withstand the high pressure of the winds during a rainstorm and many crash or have their branches snapped.

The only way to reduce tree falling incidents is for the heavy pruning of trees to enable them to withstand strong winds.

The trees should not be allowed to grow beyond about 30/40 feet and trees pruned vertically tends to grow sideways and will be broad like a ball and will be less risky of toppling.

It is the tall top-heavy trees with weak roots and heavy unwieldy branches that are the main problem.

Problem trees that are difficult to access and prune using skylift or cranes can be poisoned.

There needs to be a paradigm shift in the planting and upkeep of trees especially in urban areas.

Trees need to be properly manured according to schedule.

One sees a lot of emaciated trees with yellowing leaves in Malaysian cities.

In Singapore, I have noticed that the trees have dark green healthy leaves due to good manuring and upkeep.

There needs to be a proper selection of trees specially suited for urban areas to ensure that large and tall species such as the rain tree, African Tulip, Indian Almond or Angsana are not chosen.

Pruning of trees must be a year-round affair, trees need to be monitored closely for tell-tale danger signs, and dangerous trees need to be pruned if not cut down.

Local authorities need not hear the views of the public or residents when it comes to heavy pruning or felling as it will be the same people who will criticize the local authorities in case of incidents resulting in property damage, injuries or death.

Many residents object to tree felling or heavy pruning because of the shade and greenery trees provide.

Trees may look alright in good weather but it is only during a severe rainstorm that they start swaying and become risky to people and property.

The residents need to understand and be aware of this. The local authorities should responsibly do their duty without interference from the public.

Another problem concern trees especially coconut and fruit trees planted by residents in residential areas, which become dangerous as they grow higher and local authorities should fell or prune them for the safety of road-users and residents.

Action needs to be taken also against owners whose private properties have leaning trees that pose a danger to the public.

The local authority has every right to issue a notice to have the trees pruned or felled as the case may be.

Now that more tree falling incidents are happening due to more severe thunderstorms brought about by climate change, it is time the authorities took this matter seriously and be strict with the tree-pruning contractors and also check the health of the trees.

Urban areas need to be kept safe for the public.

(V. Thomas has been regularly contributing to Malaysian newspapers for the last 40 years.)