The gentle breeze on a Saturday morning set the perfect stage for residents to connect with nature as more than 40 participants turned up for a Jurong Central community tree planting event on 10 September.
The programme was held to reinforce the importance of sustainable development as the LTA recently completed a new cycling path along Jurong Town Hall Road while also planting 111 trees as part of the OneMillionTrees Movement. The initiative launched by the NParks aims to restore nature into the Lion City through the planting of a million more trees across Singapore over the next 10 years. This is part of its efforts to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, which is a key pillar under the Green Plan 2030.
Guest of Honour Mr Xie Yao Quan, MP for Jurong GRC, and other guests from the LTA, NParks and the grassroots community planted trees in the open space in front of Block 303, Jurong East Street 32.
Residents planted 30 different varieties of trees, including Tabebuia Rosea, Diospyros Buxifolia, Brachychiton Acerifolius, Conocarpus Erectus and Plumeria Rubra.
Resident Mr Eddy Chew, 66, who participated in the tree planting, said that it was a positive move to create more awareness on the importance of a green and sustainable environment. “The roots of trees help to prevent soil erosion. Trees also help to minimise landslide as they absorb water from the soil, and this helps to reduce the accumulation of stagnant water under the ground,” he added.
Another resident, Mr Kusumakar Panjar, 44, who planted a silver buttonwood tree with his family, said: “Singapore is a tropical country, so planting more trees will give more shade and help make the environment cooler for people who want to enjoy walks in the parks or spend more time outdoors.”
Mr Xie also shared with residents the tagging of trees via TreesSG as part of the OneMillionTree movement. Trees.sg helps Singaporeans learn about half a million trees in Singapore through an interactive map. Developed by the NParks with support from the GovTech, the online portal provides information on the scientific and common names of trees in Singapore, their dimensions, carbon content, pruning schedule and more. The community can also leave messages on Trees.sg and indicate if the trees are flowering by uploading pictures.