KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Ninety high-risk trees in Kuala Lumpur will be removed by early July, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
In a statement on Facebook yesterday, Dr Zaliha said assessment on 240 more trees is expected to be done by early August.
She chaired the Task Force Committee Meeting on High-Risk Tree Management to foster collaboration in research, knowledge, technology, and expertise in urban tree management in Kuala Lumpur.
The task force involves Universiti Putra Malaysia, the Malaysian Society of Arborist, the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia, the Federal Territories Department, the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department, the National Landscape Department, police and the Fire and Rescue Department.
“The task force will be expanded to include environmental non-governmental organisations,” she said.
Dr Zaliha said the task force will explore the potential for establishing a green area trust fund to encourage public-private partnership via a whole-of-nation approach to enhance green landscape competence, while maintaining the green area percentage in Kuala Lumpur, as targeted in the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040.
“I have directed the task force to examine the tree replacement plan with a focus on the One Million Trees Planting Programme in Kuala Lumpur, paying attention to factors such as tree species, planting space, root depth, and others,” she said.
— Bernama
