Lee Chean Chung said the Petaling Jaya City Council should appoint certified arborists to conduct thorough inspections of old or high-risk trees, as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had done.

He said the arborists should pay immediate attention to trees with the potential of falling and those with structural weaknesses, especially in densely populated areas and along major roads.

“The incident on Jalan Sultan Ismail was caused by the interconnected root network of trees in that area, directly affecting the structural integrity of the trees.

“Regular inspections by certified arborists could help identify defects in trees such as damage or decay in branches or roots, leaning or unbalanced tree structures, and cracks in branches and tree bases,” he added.

Last week, DBKL identified 28 trees as “high-risk” and slated for felling following the incident in which a large tree came crashing down at Jalan Sultan Ismail.

The incident also caused the temporary suspension of all Kuala Lumpur monorail services between the Hang Tuah and Medan Tuanku stations as the branches had fallen on the line’s tracks.