Stumped about a particular tree species spotted in the neighbourhood or by the roadside, and curious to learn more about it?

From today, the answers can be found at a new website trees.sg featuring over 500,000 trees from more than 1,000 species in Singapore’s urban landscape.

Aimed at cultivating an appreciation for Singapore trees, the website was launched on Sat (March 17) by the National Parks Board (NParks) in conjunction with the upcoming International Day of Forests on Wednesday.

On the website, users can click on any tree icon which is plotted on an interactive map, to learn about its name, characteristics and benefits it provides. They can also filter their search by location, species, tree conservation areas or heritage roads in Singapore.

Users can also learn about which tree family they come from, whether the tree is flowering, its physical dimensions, local conservation status, other fun facts and even check when they will be pruned next or “their next haircut”, quipped Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee who was speaking at the event at Fort Canning Park.

The website also allows users to upload pictures of trees that they spot.

For instance, the Handkerchief Tree (named for its distinctive white leaves which hang down like soft handkerchiefs) can be spotted at Bukit Timah, or the Leopard Tree (its patchy dappled bark looks like leopard print) can be located at the Botanic Gardens, said NParks’ group director of streetscape Oh Cheow Sheng.

One example of a rare species of trees in Singapore is a wild nutmeg, known as Farquhar’s Nutmeg (Gymnacranthera farquhariana), a critically endangered species which has not been propagated elsewhere in Singapore and was collected in 2016 in the Bukit Timah nature reserve. It is named after Major-General William Farquhar, who served in the British Army and was the first resident of Singapore

As compared to trees in forested areas which are less accessible, densely located and not as easy to plot on the map, trees in the urban landscape were chosen to be featured on the website so that “people can learn about trees in their neighbourhood and gets them excited about what they can do for the environment,” said Mr Oh.

Singapore currently has two million urban trees or two million trees within the urban landscape, and the aim is to work with other stakeholders such as private owners, JTC Corporation, the Housing and Development Board and town council to “progressively plot most of these trees,” he said.

For retiree and NParks volunteer Madam Tan Sok Oon, 65, the new website would be “convenient”, as compared to sending over pictures of trees she spots on Whatsapp group chats.

“Sometimes I don’t know what names of the trees, so I always have to ask to find out... At least people will be able to understand more about them now,” she said, adding that she hopes flowers can also be included in the website as well.

At the event, Mr Lee, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development, planted nutmeg trees to mark the start of heritage landscape restoration work for Fort Canning Park. Part of improvement plans that were announced last month, the work spans the restoration of three historical gardens, re-curation of heritage trails in the park and enhanced accessibility for the public.

Other initiatives announced was a Friends of TreesSg community group, which is open for the public to join, as well as free public guided walks on the 2km Chinatown heritage tree trail that will take place later this month.

Mr Lee said the Government will “continue to support our collective push for greenery”, by establishing a network of nature parks that will “serve as green buffers around our nature reserves”.

The network encompasses the Windsor and Chestnut Nature Park, which was opened last year, and the Thomson Nature Park and the Rifle Range Nature Park, which will be completed this year and 2020 respectively.

“With the habitats around our island linked as one ecological network, our rich biodiversity will be better able to thrive,” he said.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Toh Ee Ming

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