- Tree conservation areas in Singapore
Tree Conservation Areas are large urban areas in
Singapore in which no tree with a girth above 1 metre when measured 50 centimetres from the ground may be felled without permission from theNational Parks Board . There are currently two such areas, namely:*The area bounded by the
Pan Island Expressway ,Clementi Road ,Pasir Panjang Road ,Telok Blangah Road ,Kampung Bahru Road ,Lower Delta Road , theAyer Rajah Expressway ,Alexander Road ,River Valley Road ,Clemenceau Road ,Fort Canning Road ,Orchard Road ,Prinsep Street ,Selegie Road ,Dunearn Road ,Whitley Road ,Mount Pleasant Road , Thomson Road, andLornie Road .See: [http://www.nparks.gov.sg/development/img-dev/dev-tca_map.gifMap of area]
*The area bounded by
Netheravon Road ,Cranwell Road ,Loyang Avenue ,Loyang Way ,Upper Changi Road North andChangi Village Road .See: [http://www.nparks.gov.sg/development/img-dev/dev-map-east2.gifMap of area]
Illegal felling of a "Hopea sangal" tree
On
20 November 2002 , a large tree was chopped down by a property management company,DTZ Debenham Tie Leung . The tree in question was a "Hopea sangal ", orChengal pasir tree, a rare tree reputed to have givenChangi its name. In addition, the tree was standing in a tree conservation area, which forbids any unauthorised felling of a tree with a girth above 1 metre. The tree in question had a girth of 3.4 metres.Public sentiment against the felling was high, and the courts imposed a S$8,000 fine on the company for the offence, which has a maximum fine of S$10,000. The company was also ordered to pay S$76,035 to the state in compensation for the felling.
Nature groups and concerned citizens were determined to ensure that this episode became a lesson to be learnt for others. In September
2003 , the logs which has been cut down were recovered and transformed into sculptures. A major educational drive, called "The Hopea sangal Tree: Sculpture Symposium", was organised byThe Sculpture Society (Singapore) in partnership with theNational Parks Board and theNanyang Academy of Fine Arts , and with the support of theNature Society (Singapore) and theUrban Redevelopment Authority , representing a government-NGO combined effort to raise awareness towards the conservation of trees.Seeds recovered in September 2002 were grown in National Parks Board's Pasir Panjang Nursery. On 7th November 2004, Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew planted a sapling in Hendersonville (between blocks 103 and 104), Henderson Crescent.External links
* [http://www.nparks.gov.sg/nat_conv/nat_con-tre_con.shtml Tree conservation areas in Singapore]
* [http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/heritage/changi/changitrees/hopeasangal/hopeasangal-timeline.html The "Hopea sangal" Tree - A Timeline]
* [http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/heritage/changi/changitrees/hopeasangal-20nov2002/firstpage.html "Hopea sangal" felled]
* [http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/heritage/changi/changitrees/hopeasangal-20nov2002/sculpturesociety.html The "Hopea sangal" Tree: Sculpture Symposium]
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