As temperatures reached -3.5 degrees last weekend (24 January 2016) due to the unusual polar vortex conditions, many Hong Kong people have enjoyed the novelty of ice in Hong Kong. This weather extreme, however, has had detrimental effects on vegetation, as seen first-hand at KFBG. All the plants on the middle and upper slopes of KFBG were covered in ice and the top layer of soil was frozen. This has damaged the young tree saplings planted in recent years in our reforestation project, as well as a lot of other wild species in KFBG’s upper areas.

Young tree seedlings will be planted again between April and June 2016. We would like to invite organised groups, perhaps from businesses, to contact us to discuss how their staff could work with our scientists to carry out part of this huge, long-term project to reinstate a diverse native forest.