Straits Times 27 Jun 13;
STAFF of Singapore Botanic Gardens arrived at work yesterday to the disheartening sight of one of its stately heritage trees uprooted and toppled on its lawn.
The 91-year-old rubber tree, or Hevea brasiliensis, had fallen early yesterday morning owing to root failure from rot at its base, the National Parks Board (NParks) said.
But there are enough live roots left to try getting it to sprout new branches from the remains of the trunk, it added. The tree collapse was not caused by the strong winds and thunderstorm on Tuesday, NParks said.
No one was hurt when it fell.
The 14m tree was planted near the Gardens' Tanglin entrance in 1923. It was the last of its second generation of rubber trees, which were planted from seeds in 1884.
"Fortunately though, third-generation saplings were planted nearby in 2009 as part of SBG's 150th anniversary celebrations, continuing the legacy of our rubber story," said the Gardens on its Facebook page. Rubber trees were planted on the grounds in 1877 as an economically important crop.
But the fallen tree is not the oldest in the 154-year-old Botanic Gardens. That honour likely belongs to a Tembusu or a towering Jelawi, both of which may be as old as the Gardens.
Meanwhile, NParks said Tuesday's storm uprooted seven trees and snapped 90 branches in the west of Singapore. They have been cleared.
While trees along major roads and areas of high activity are checked at least once a year, the risk of a tree falling cannot be reduced to zero as even healthy trees can be affected by gusty winds and heavy rain, it added.
GRACE CHUA
