Written answer by Ministry of National Development on tree failure incident reports received by NParks

Jan 10, 2024

Question No: 5334

Question by: Ms He Ting Ru

To ask the Minister for National Development over the last ten years (a) how many reports has NParks received regarding tree failure incidents on (i) public property (ii) town council property and (iii) private property respectively; and (b) of these, how many cases are on trees which had previously been flagged or reported to NParks on grounds of safety concerns.

Answer:

NParks manages over two million urban trees in Singapore’s parks, park connectors, State lands, and along roads. With the strengthening of NParks’ tree management regime over the years, the annual number of tree failure incidents has declined by 65% from 1,250 cases in 2014 to around 430 in 2023. These numbers exclude trees found in town council and private properties, as NParks does not manage these areas.

2        NParks has a comprehensive tree management programme that includes a rigorous tree inspection and maintenance regime aligned with the best practices of the International Society of Arboriculture. Regular tree inspections are carried out by trained inspectors every six to 24 months, with trees that are close to areas with high pedestrian or traffic activity inspected more frequently. Upon receiving reports of trees with potential safety concerns, NParks will conduct tree risk assessments and take relevant risk mitigation actions where necessary.

3        NParks will continue to review and adapt its tree management regime to incorporate best practices to minimise the risk of tree failures.