Pattaya-area bureaucrats were back in “tree school” this week as Pattaya continues to placate environmental groups pushing for more greenery.
Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome and Chorpaka Wiriyanon, co-founder of Thailand Urban Tree Network, kicked off the second workshop government environment, engineering and security officers, with lessons taught by representatives of the Big Tree Group, Thai Association of Landscape Architects, Thai Arboriculture Association and We Park group.
The educational crash courses – which began Oct. 2 – became necessary after Pattaya began ripping out beachfront trees as part of its latest shoreline facelift. The uproar from the public halted the project and Sonthaya was forced to bring in urban tree experts to teach city workers how to properly survey and evaluate beachfront trees.
This month’s class, which ran for 30 people from Nov. 18-18, focused on principles of arboriculture and urban tree management, including area selection and design, tree selection, young plants, planting and maintenance processes and debris cleanup.
Moreover, students learned methods of using equipment, tools and software to make care and management meet international standards.
They were taught basic principles on taking care of big trees to be safe, strong and beautiful, methods to solve problems relating to big trees, such as disease, broken branches, branches touching wires, falling leaves, roots tangling pipes, insects, fierce animals and more. (PCPR)