Forum: Reintroduce native Singaporean hardwoods for sturdier canopy

I refer to the article “Singapore’s planting palette: What trees colour our streets and parks?” (June 15).

While the National Parks Board’s greening efforts are commendable, our streetscapes still rely heavily on introduced species like the rain tree.

Long before Singapore became urbanised, the local flora possessed immense natural strength. Reintroducing native Singaporean hardwoods, like the majestic seraya tree and the famous tembusu, will create a safer, sturdier canopy.

These native giants evolved over centuries to withstand local weather extremes, anchoring the soil far better than ornamental imports. Top-heavy exotic trees along the expressways are frequently uprooted during intense Sumatra squalls.

Consider the native casuarina tree (pokok rhu), a coastal sentinel woven deeply into Singapore’s geography. Tanjon Ru (now known as Tanjong Rhu) was marked on Emanuel Godinho de Eredia’s 1604 map of Singapore more than two centuries before Raffles arrived.

The tree is structurally brilliant – its specialised roots enrich poor soils, and its aerodynamic canopy acts as an excellent, wind-resistant buffer.

Let us progress beyond aesthetic greening and enable Singapore’s authentic ecological heritage to integrate naturally into our urban landscapes.

Singapore’s greening legacy is rooted in its native flora. In 1963, when then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew launched the nation’s first tree-planting campaign, he chose a native mempat tree. Its spectacular, cherry blossom-like blooms stand as definitive proof that native species deliver both breathtaking beauty and unmatched resilience. 

Osman V.P. Mohamed