causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

The Parks Department commissioned a survey of ficus, or Indian Laurel, trees last summer.

The trees' roots are known for causing serious and costly structural damage to walls, rooftops, gutters, sidewalks and water tanks.

So last year two college students, Derek Simmons and Keanya Francis, surveyed Government property and public roads to see what parts of the Island were most affected.

They colour-coded a map with their results and discovered that the Indian Laurels were evenly distributed throughout the Island.

And this year Mr. Francis has developed new methods to deal with the trees.

He and another summer student will target the ficus trees that could potentially cause damage by applying herbicide to the younger trees.

Mr. Francis said this was the best technique to treat specific trees without interfering with nature's balance -- as endangered ground doves feed on the trees' fruit.

The ficus management team also launched a public awareness campaign last summer and now they even have a web site.

"With the public's awareness and cooperation, an effective management of the Indian Laurel can be achieved,'' he said.

He advised people who had ficus trees to remove, bag and burn all the fallen fruit from older trees, remove any seedlings and spray larger plants growing on walls, buildings and sidewalks with a herbicide.

Mr. Francis also urged anyone with information about the location of ficus trees to contact the Department of Parks.