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Tree Planting Campaign

The Tree Planting campaign was launched by the government in 1963 with the objective of making Singapore a green city. Every year a minimum of 10,000 saplings are planted as part of this campaign. The campaign consists of an annual Tree Planting Day.

History
Colonial Period
Singapore's concern with the protection of its environment dates back to colonial times. Before gambier cultivation went into full gear in the 1830s and 1840s, most parts of Singapore were covered with fertile rainforests. The success of gambier as a cash crop spurred the clearing of much forest land for gambier cultivation which peaked at 600 plantations in the late 1840s. Trees were cut down indiscriminately, drastically reducing the area under primary forest. In 1848, concerns over the effect of such deforestation led to the prohibition by the colonial government of any further destruction of forests hills.

Deforestation nevertheless continued, and alarmed at the depletion of forests in the Straits Settlements (SS), the colonial government commissioned Nathaniel Cantley, the Superintendent of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, to survey the extent of forests in the SS. The survey, done in 1883, showed that only 7% of the island had remained forested. Among the measures recommended to protect the forests included the formation of local forest reserves and the collection and propagation of the best indigenous timber seeds.

Post-War
Soon after the war, the government embarked on a tree planting and landscaping spree to beautify the island. A Parks Department was formed to take care of tree-planting activities within city limits while the Public Works Department was made responsible for planting of trees along rural roads. By the end of the 1950s, residential areas were found to be well-planted but the business areas of the city was still tree-less.

A more sustained effort at the greening of Singapore took place in 1963 when the government launched the Tree Planting campaign that was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Apart from wanting to improve the image of Singapore, the campaign also aimed at getting the public to be more aware of and appreciate the need for trees in the environment. The campaign hoped to yield 10,000 new trees annually. However, this campaign was not successful in its early years due to people's lack of feelings of care for trees and that expertise for the campaign was lacking. In 1967, the government introduced the Garden City programme to create a holistic green environment where parks, gardens and open spaces would be linked by a matrix of tree-lined roads. In November 1971, the government launched the annual Tree Planting Day. Initially, trees were selected for planting based on their quality and ease of propagation. Therefore free-seeding species such as acacia, sea apple, rain tree and pong pong were widely planted. But as they were slow in growing and making an impact, "instant trees", propagated from two-meter stem cuttings, were used and transplanted directly as semi-mature trees. By 1980, after the initial greening effect of the city was achieved, the emphasis shifted to other trees based on factors such as quality of colour and scent of the flowers.

Description
The Tree Planting campaign is often led by ministers and members of parliament who would mobilise tree planting activities in their own constituencies. In 1974, plants were sold at half-price at the government plants sales centre in Dunearn Road to encourage people to buy trees for planting. In 1977, political leaders led the campaign to achieve a total of new 33,300 trees and shrubs. At the government plants sales centres at Dunearn Road and Dempsey Road, fruit trees were sold at half-price.

The 1992 campaign was launched as part of the Clean and Green Week campaign and trees were planted in 69 constituencies. In 1993, overseas visits to Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Australia were conducted by the Primary Production Department (PPD) to explore the possibility of introducing newer species of fruit trees in Singapore. Religious organisations were roped in in 2001 to get more people to be aware of the green issues and in the planting activities. In 2002, the National Parks Board began encouraging developers and building owners to set up roof gardens to achieve a greener skyline and keep the city cool.


Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References
Body to make people care for trees. (1967, April 19). The Straits Times. 

Faiths roped in to help green movement. (2001, March 19). The Straits Times, p. 3.

Kwan, C. T. (1993, January 18). PPD's search for new trees bears fruit. The Straits Times, p. 21.

Making Singapore green. (1992, November 1). The Straits Times, p. 3.

MPs to lead tree planting campaign. (1977, October 30). The Straits Times.

Plants at half-price. (1974, October 18). The Straits Times. 

SM praises cleanest block winner. (1994, November 7). The Straits Times, p. 22.

Tan, Y. M. (1993, September 11). Greening of S'pore gets an A+ but Green Plan scores a D. The Straits Times, p. 26.

Tee, H. C. (2003, October 5). Green Piece; Singaporeans will literally be seeing green as the National Parks Board works towards turning the city into a seamless canopy through skyrise and streetscape greenery. The Straits Times, p. 1.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International. (2004). Keeping Botanical Gardens relevant - The Singapore Botanic Gardens experience. Retrieved April 29, 2004, from www.bgci.org.uk/botanic_gardens/keeping_BGs_relevant.html


Further Readings
Kwok, K. W. (1998). Historical Formation and the Growth of a Diversified Community Overseas Chinese in Singapore, 1819-1900. In Lynn Pan (Ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas. Singapore: Archipelago Press.

National Environment Agency. (2004).The Singapore Green Plan 2012: Action programmes. Retrieved January 30, 2004, from www.nea.gov.sg/sgp2012aps/

National University of Singaproe. (2002). Tree planting campaign and garden city campaign. Retreived January 30, 2004, from www.fas.nus.edu.sg/hist/tbg/nation_gardnat_pl.htm 

The information in this article is valid as at 1998 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Events>>National Campaigns
Urban beautification--Singapore
Tree Planting--Singapore
Law and government>>Environmental protection>>Environmental policy

Librarian Recommendations
>> Gambier
>> Tree Planting Day
>> Clean and Green Week


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