Focus on saving mature trees first

Letter from Teo Lian Hong, Straits Times Forum 30 Apr 08;

FOR the past few months, The Straits Times has reported initiatives on the planting of trees. They include land being used to plant seedlings which will be transplanted to Marina Bay in the future, as well as accepting donations from people to have young trees named after them.

The common theme here is that energy and effort is being focused on young trees rather than mature ones. While the NParks Board has done a great job in preserving mature trees, one gets the feeling that old trees are still prone to being felled whenever there is any new development.

Take the case of Marina Bay. There used to be mature trees growing there before they were felled to make way for the current construction. Instead of growing young trees which will take at least a decade or more to mature, why don't we consider transplanting mature trees?

If we look around the city centre, we can see few areas which are still lush with mature trees. I would like to suggest that organisations like the Nature Society work proactively with the relevant authorities to save as many mature trees first, rather than wait for bulldozers to arrive before writing in to petition for them to be saved.