The issue of 'killer trees' resurfaced when a huge tree situated inside the premises of Royal College, Colombo fell onto Thurstan Road last week completely crushing a car and a van. Fortunately there was no one inside the vehicles, at the time. The incident occurred just a while before Royal Primary closed for the day; children were saved in the nick of time.

We were appalled at the reaction of the "top gun" at Royal College. According to the Principal, L. Gomes, the management is relieved that no one was hurt.

"We all need shade, so the trees are essential.. All we can do is thank God that no one was injured this time, " he deadpanned.

He thereupon accused us of continuing to bother him, and said "it's stale news now…"

But as a school that has over 8000 students in it, shouldn't the management and staff be more concerned about just how precarious this situation is?

"What are we to do about trees falling? These are age-old trees which just cannot be cut down, and when their time is up, they will fall," was his nonchalant reply.

On speaking to Jagath Gunawardena, Attorney cum President, Environmental Education Society, we found out that felling trees should be a last resort, rather than the first, which is most often the case in instances where tragic accidents have taken place due to trees collapsing on people or vehicles.

A periodic check on the trees should be made compulsory by the relevant authorities. Most of these accidents take place due to negligence on the part of those in charge. Except for circumstances where there is a huge hole within the tree or there's severe rot, in most cases the tree can be saved, if discovered early, according to Mr. Gunawardena.

"Trees are an essential part of our eco-system as well, therefore it's our responsibility to protect them too. Especially as there are particular trees within the precincts of Colombo that have medicinal value or rare flowers and plants growing on them. They also serve as an important aspect of children's education and of course as the much needed shade that benefits us all," he said.

"We can't go around randomly chopping down trees because the replanting of trees isn't conducted consistently.

There are Botanical specialists who know how best to protect trees against rot and pests. Thus they should be consulted and apt action should be taken," he says.

Certain chemicals can be applied on infected trees to make them more long lasting but it all depends on consistent surveillance and early detection, he pointed out.

M.A.C.M. Fazal, Superintendent Engineer Colombo North says, 'whenever they get complaints from residents who are in the vicinity of a dangerous tree, they inspect the situation and get our assigned tree fellers to cut it down''.

"We advertise our assigned contractors in the media, so that any private establishment could contact them if the need arose and they, in turn direct them to a tree feller who can do the job for them".

On asking if cutting down trees was their only option, he said "No, of course not. We don't encourage cutting down trees at any cost and if we really have to we make sure we plant a tree to make up for the loss".

On speaking to Nirmala De Mel, President Ruk Rakaganno, she said it is essential that trees are tended to.

"Old trees need trimming and pruning, but it has to be done in an organised manner. For instance, if branches of a tree are trimmed on one side, the same has to be done on the other side as well. The centre of gravity is a vital factor for trees."

Explaining the reason trees collapse suddenly, Ms. De Mel said that when untrained labourers engage in road construction, they pave the roads up to the roots of the tree, thereby suffocating and eventually killing the tree.

The Royal primary boys were lucky this time, but how long more until our collective luck runs out? Should we go on a tree cutting rampage every time an accident like this takes place or should we literally get to the 'root' of the problem and see whether the authorities can start to take some responsibility for their negligence. Better yet… why don't we just "go plant a tree!", as suggested by the Principal.

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