In granting a plot of land, the Lands Department (“Lands D”) executes a lease with the grantee who is required to comply with the lease conditions after becoming the owner of the land. Leases executed at different times contain varying conditions. Private lot owners have to check and comply with the lease conditions. Where there is no tree preservation clause in the lease of a private lot, the lot owner can employ qualified professionals to attend to the trees within the lot. Regarding the employment of qualified professionals, private lot owners can refer to the tree website of the Development Bureau for the list of contractors or professional bodies providing tree management services. Generally speaking, where the lease of a private lot contains a tree preservation clause, the lot owner has to, except in an emergency situation, make a prior application to the District Lands Office (DLO) of Lands D and obtain a written consent before removing or pruning trees within the lot. To apply for tree removal or pruning, the private lot owner is required to submit a report prepared by a professional meeting the requirements specified in the Practice Note Issue No. 7/2007 available at Lands D’s website, providing sufficient justifications and evidence for consideration. In granting a written consent, DLO may impose conditions on transplanting, compensatory landscaping or replanting as deemed appropriate. For application procedures for tree removal or pruning and guidelines on report preparation, please refer to the Practice Note Issue No. 7/2007 of Lands D. Further enquiries can be made to DLOs, the contact details of which can be found at the website of Lands D.