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SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) will plant 170,000 more trees on industrial estates over the next 10 years, almost tripling the current population of 90,000 trees, National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced on Monday (October 26).
These will reach 260,000 trees by 2030, NParks and JTC said in a press release, adding that the trees will be planted in “a multi-tiered fashion.”
The agencies said the goal is to cool down these industrial areas, which are some of the hottest areas in Singapore, and improve air quality.
“At the same time, this will create a more attractive and conducive work environment by bringing the therapeutic effects of vegetation closer to people’s workplaces,” they said.
A broadleaf mahogany tree near the Seletar Aerospace Park. (Photo: NParks)
According to Mr. Lee, the trees will be planted along the roads and made to resemble the “look and feel of natural forests.”
“(It will be a) more intensive planting regime, which makes the place more green, beautifies it but also seeks to replicate some of the forest structures we see.
“They will also provide shade for pedestrians and a respite from the heat,” said Mr. Lee, speaking at a tree planting event on Jurong Island, where he and other community partners planted a total of 100 trees.
This is part of the One Million Trees movement announced earlier this year, where NParks said it aims to plant one million trees in Singapore by 2030.
NParks had also announced that it planned to plant 100,000 trees on industrial estates, now up to 170,000 trees.
MORE GREEN SPACES, ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS
By 2030, there will be 100 hectares of new green spaces, such as parks and green areas on the roads, in the Seletar Aerospace Park, Punggol Digital District, Sungei Kadut Ecological District, and Jurong Innovation District.
This, coupled with “intensive tree planting” under the One Million Trees movement, will mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect, NParks and JTC said.
An example of a recently added green space is the 3.2ha Hampstead Wetlands Park at Seletar Aerospace Park, which opened in April this year.
“Complemented with at least 10 hectares of roadside greenery, visitors can get closer to nature. Wetlands Park has proven popular with visitors, including residents from other parts of Singapore, ”said NParks and JTC.
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NParks and JTC will continue to add green spaces, including at least 56ha of parks, park connectors, roadside vegetation and Nature Ways, routes with specific plants to facilitate the movement of birds and butterflies, in the Sungei Kadut ecological district by 2030 .
They will connect the Sungei Kadut Ecological District with nearby green spaces, such as the Sungei Buloh Natural Park Network and the railway corridor.
Meanwhile, NParks will deploy a network of environmental sensors in the Jurong area, including the Jurong Industrial State and Jurong Island, to collect data on ambient temperature, relative humidity and wind speed.
Hampstead Wetlands Parks is a 3.2ha green space located in Seletar Aerospace Park. (Photo: NParks)
“The data that will be collected through these sensors will support ongoing research projects and help us develop better green strategies to cool our city,” said Mr. Lee.
The tender for environmental sensors will be called at the end of 2020.
JURONG ISLAND LIGHTING
Some of the 170,000 trees will be planted on Jurong Island by 2022.
Of the 34,000 new trees planned on Jurong Island, nearly 13,000 have already been planted during the period from March 2019 to October 2020. When the remaining 21,000 trees have been added, the total number of trees on the island by 2022 will be of 44,000.
NParks and JTC aim to have 44,000 trees on Jurong Island by 2022. (Photo: NParks)
“Trees planted on Jurong Island are selected for their resistance and tolerance to drought, and their ability to add shade, color and vitality to the island,” said NParks and JTC.
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More than 70 businesses and organizations from the Jurong Island community have contributed to its greening, donating around S $ 740,000 to support more than 2,400 trees on the island.
“The close collaboration we have here is a good example of how we can all become stewards of greenery and nature, for our homes, our neighborhoods, and our workplaces,” said Mr. Lee.
