GCB in Central Tree Conservation Area
Tree Conservation Areas /Vacant Land
Prior written approval must be obtained from the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation for the removal or cutting of any tree with girth exceeding 1.0m (measured half a metre from the ground) growing on a designated Tree Conservation Area (TCA) or vacant land.
Tree Conservation Areas
Two green spaces in the South Central and Eastern parts of Singapore were gazetted as Tree Conservation Areas (TCAs) on 2 August 1991 to control indiscriminate felling of mature trees. These areas were selected for the large extent of greenery and natural heritage that are worth conserving. This vegetation, some of which are 50–100 years old, beautifies the environment with lush foliage and shaded canopies.
Developers and private property owners who wish to fell any mature tree with a girth of more than one metre have to seek written approval from the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation. This is required even if no developmental works are in progress on-site.
Central TCA (South Central of Singapore)
The Central TCA has an estimated land area of 4,700 hectares and is bounded by Dunearn Road, Whitley Road, Mt. Pleasant Road, Thomson Road, Lornie Road, Pan Island Expressway, Clementi Road, Pasir Panjang Road, Telok Blangah Road, Lower Delta Road, Ayer Rajah Expressway, Alexandra Road, River Valley Road, Fort Canning Road and Selegie Road. There are many good class bungalows which falls within the Central TCA.
Frequently Asked Questions about TCAs
Q1 Do the provisions for the Tree Conservation Areas under the Parks and Trees Act cover privately owned land, within Good Class Bungalow Area (GCBA)?
Yes, the provisions apply to both State and privately owned land.
EG The Good Class Bungalow at 67 Holland park is within Central Tree conservation area. The Good Class Bungalow at 67 Holland park has an unassuming facade, the house has a zen- like tranquility, with every room looking Out to the Swimming pool and landscaped garden framed by conserved Tembusu tree.
Q2 What are the types of trees protected under the TCAs?
Under the Parks and Trees Act, healthy trees with girths of more than one metre are protected as long as they provide lush greenery and improve the ambience of the TCAs.
Q3 How do you measure the girth of a tree?
Generally, the girth of a tree is to be measured at 0.5m from ground level, except for multi-leader and low branching trees, as shown below.
I. For a simple single trunk tree and buttressed tree – measure the girth at 0.5m above the ground.[Figure I]
II. For a multi-leader tree where the leaders sprout from the collar – measure the girth of each individual stem at 0.5m above the ground, and treat each stem as a separate tree. [Figure II] 
III. For a low branching tree with the lowest branching below 0.5m height from the ground – measure the girth at the point just below the lowest branching. [Figure III]
Q4 What is the penalty if a tree owner proceeds to fell or remove a protected tree without attaining prior approval from NParks or complying to the stated requirements?
Under the Parks and Trees Act, if a tree owner proceeds to fell or remove a protected tree without attaining approval from NParks, the owner is liable to pay a fine not exceeding $50,000.
Q5 What is the procedure to apply for approval to remove a tree in the TCA?
To remove any tree protected in the TCA, you must submit an application to the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, National Parks Board (NParks). Currently, NParks processes two types of such applications:
Submit your applications to:
Commissioner of Parks and Recreation
National Parks Board Headquarters
Singapore Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Road
Singapore 259569
Telefax: 64723033
Q6 When will NParks request a report from a professional arborist?
NParks may request a report from a professional arborist when:
Q7 Who is a professional arborist and what is their domain of expertise?
A professional arborist must have attained certification from the Certified Arborist Programme with the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) under NParks.
The Programme, in collaboration with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) based in the United States, prepares practising arborists for professional certification under the following domains:
- Tree Biology
- Soil Science
- Water Management
- Tree Nutrition and Fertilisation
- Urban Forestry
- Tree Identification
- Tree Selection
- Installation and Establishment
- Diagnosis and Plant Disorders
- Plant Health Care
- Tree Pruning
- Tree Support and Lightning Protection
- Tree Assessment and Risk Management
- Trees and Construction
- Tree Worker Safety
- Climbing and Working in Trees
This professional certification is valid for a period of three years, upon which the arborist needs to be recertified. View a list of ISA Certified Arborists.
Q8 What is the fee payable for the services of a professional arborist?
Depending on factors such as tree species size and condition, a basic visual tree assessment report by a certified arborist ranges from $150–$600 per tree.
If any additional assessment is required such as excavations, decay detection drillings and sonic tomographic measurements, the fee will be commensurated accordingly.
Know 10 Trees
With an area of 710 square kilometres and a population of 5.5 million people, Singapore has one of the highest population densities in the world.
Yet, sharing this space with us are over 2000 recorded native plant species. In total, there are about two million trees planted along roadsides, in parks and protected nature areas. It is no wonder Singapore is known internationally as a Garden City.
As a citizen of this Garden City, how well do we know our trees?
Without them, the city would be a harsh landscape of concrete buildings. Trees serve to soften the surroundings, adding beauty and colour to the scenery. They also offer a welcome respite from the tropical heat and glare, while we are outdoors at work or at play.
Do take a closer look at ten of the most commonly found trees in Singapore. They have always been around us; let’s take some time to get to know them.
1 Rain Tree
Rain Tree (Samanea saman)
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
The large and majestic Rain Tree can be seen growing by our roadsides. It provides plenty of shade with its big umbrella-shaped crown.
When it blooms, the crown of this tree is covered in clusters of pink-white flowers, like small upturned brushes. The leaves fold up before rainy weather – this is why it is called the Rain Tree.
The tree’s leaves also close just before sunset. This is why it is called the Pukul Lima in Malay, which means ‘five o’clock’. The sunset hour in Singapore and Malaysia used to be 5 pm before changes were made to Standard Time in the early 1980s.
There is a large Rain Tree in the Singapore Botanic Gardens with a girth of 5m and a height of 32m. It is classified as one of Singapore’s Heritage Trees, and strikes a truly majestic appearance.
 Flower buds of the Rain Tree |
  Clusters of pink-white flowers |
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 Fruits of the Rain Tree |
 Rain Trees lining our roads |
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 The bark of the Rain Tree |
  Leaves of the Rain Tree |
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2 Angsana
Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus)
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
  Brillian yellow blooms of an Angsana tree
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    Angsana flowers |
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 Unripe Angsana fruits |
 Ripe Angsana fruits |
  Close up of Angsana fruit |
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  Leaflet of an Angsana |
 Leaves infested by leaf miners |
 Close up of Angsana leaf |
 Angsana root flares |
3 Yellow Flame
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
The Yellow Flame grows up to 20m tall. It is a popular tree for roadside planting. It is drought-resistant, which makes it well adapted to Singapore’s sunny urban conditions.This tree has a wide-spreading, umbrella-shaped crown, which provides excellent shade.When the tree flowers, its fragrant, brilliant yellow blossoms cover the entire crown. These flowers are about 3cm in size, and have wavy, crinkled petals that resemble tissue paper.After the flowering season, the flowers develop into woody purple-brown fruit pods that develop on the tree. These pods remain in the crown for several months before dropping off.
   Yellow Flame in bloom
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 Yellow Flame flowers |
 Fallen flowers on the ground |
 Crown of fruit pods |
 Yellow Flame fruit pods |
  Close up of Yellow Flame leaves |
 New leaves sprouting |
 Flower buds of the Yellow Flame |
 Bark of the Yellow Flame tree |
4 Senegal Mahogany
Senegal Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis)
Family: Meliaceae
The Senegal Mahogany is a fast growing evergreen tree. It can grow to more than 30m in height, and has a girth of 1 – 2m. It has a straight, robust and cylindrical trunk, with buttresses at the base.
This statuesque tree has a large bushy crown, which provides good shade. It is suitable for planting as a shade and avenue tree.
Its compound leaves are made up of leaflets that are glossy dark green on the upper side and light green on the underside. It has clusters of small, white flowers that give way to round fruits. The fruits split open to release numerous brown winged seeds that are dispersed by wind.
The Khayas (Khaya senegalensis and Khaya grandiflora) are closely related to the true Mahoganies (genusSwietenia). Their timbers are similar in quality.
  Flowers of Senegal Mahogany |
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 Fruit of Senegal Mahogany |
 An avenue of Senegal Mahogany trees |
 Trunk of a Senegal Mahogany |
  Tree bark of a Senegal Mahogany |
5 Broad-leafed Mahogany
Broad-leafed Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)Family: Meliaceae
The Broad-leafed Mahogany is a large hardwood tree that can grow up to 30m or more. It can be easily recognised by its crown, which is dense dark green and round to oblong in shape.
Its leaves turn from pink to dark green, and become orange-brown to scarlet as they wither. The crown is dark green and its trunk is buttressed, with dark grey scaly bark.
It is the ‘original’ mahogany of the furniture trade, and its timber is regarded as among the best in the world. Its wood is used for making fine furniture and musical instruments.
The most distinctive feature of this tree is its large heavy brown fruit pods. These split into five valves to release flat, winged light-brown seeds.
 
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 Flows of the Broad-leafed Mahogany |
 Fruits of the Broad-leafed Mahogany
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  Leaves of the Broad-leafed Mahogany |
 Fruit and leaves |
 Trunk of the Broad-leafed Mahogany |
 Buttress roots of the Broad-leafed Mahogany |
 Broad-leafed Mahogany trees lining our roads |
 Rows of Broad-leafed Mahoganys along our roads
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6 Tembusu
Tembusu (Fagraea fragrans)
 Flowers of the Tembusu tree |
 Close up of the flowers |
 Tembusu flowers and fruits |
 Close up of Tembusu fruits |
 Tembusu fruits and leaves |
  Artistic branching |
 A Tembusu tree |
 Tembusu tree in bloom |
 A young Tembusu |
 A mature Tembusu |
 A Tembusu tree |
 A row of Tembusu trees |
7 Sea Apple
The Sea Apple is a tall coastal tree of this region that grows up to 30m in height. It is a robust tree with large white flowers arranged in compact clusters with showy stamens.The fruits are oblong, with a green leathery rind when ripe. These fruits are sought after by bats, who eat them and help disperse the seeds. In Singapore, most Sea Apple trees flower and fruit from March – May.The Sea Apple was first adopted in Singapore as a wayside tree in the early 1900s. As this tree does not burn easily, it used to be planted extensively as firebreaks, at a time when our roads were bordered by highly flammable lalang wastelands.
   Flowers of the Sea Apple
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 Flower buds of the Sea Apple |
 Fruits of the Sea Apple |
 Leaves of the Sea Apple |
 Trunk of the Sea Apple |
8 Saga
Saga (Adenanthera pavonina)
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
The Saga Tree is a deciduous tree that grows up to 15-20m tall. It is hardy, fast-growing, and low-maintenance.
The tree’s large spreading crown makes it suitable for providing shade in large gardens. It has distinctive fruit pods, and its scarlet seeds are known for their uniform weight: 4 seeds make up 1 gram. The seeds were widely used in the past as weight measures for gold and silver.
The Saga Tree has been naturalised throughout Malaysia, Africa, Pacific and the Caribbean Islands.
 Flowers of the Saga tree
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 Close up of Saga flower
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 Unopened Saga fruit pod
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  Opened Saga fruit pod
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 Compound leaves
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 Saga tree by the roadside
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9 Trumpet Tree
Family: Bignoniaceae
The Trumpet Tree grows up to 18-25m tall, and has a large, broadly conical and shady crown. The tree’s name comes from its large trumpet-shaped flowers, which range in colour from pink to white.The fruits are elongated pods, which split open to released winged seeds. This tree is known for its impressive flowering display, where the entire tree is spectacularly covered in blossoms. This takes place in April and August, usually after a dry spell.When their flowers fall, they retain their colour for a couple of days, forming a beautiful carpet of flowers around the tree.
  A beautiful array of colours |
 Crown of glory |
 An overall form of the Trumpet tree |
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 Flowers of the Trumpet tree |
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 Sunbird visiting the Trumpet tree |
 Fruit pod of the Trumpet tree |
 Split fruit pod of the Trumpet tree |
 Young leaves of the Trumpet tree |
 Palmate leaves of the Trumpet tree |
 Trunk of the Trumpet tree |
 Bark of the Trumpet tree |
10 Sea Almond
Sea Almond (Terminalia catappa)
Family: Combretaceae
The Sea Almond or Ketapang is a large coastal tree which grows up to 25m tall. It can be recognised by its distinct pagoda shape, formed by its tiered branching pattern.
This tree has large leaves (15-30cm) that turn yellow, orange and then red when they are about to shed. The almond-shaped fruits turn from green to yellow as they ripen, and the edible seed kernels taste like almonds.
The leaves have an antibacterial effect, as they release tannic and humic acid. They are used in aquariums to promote the health of fishes, and provide a calming effect.
Changi Coast Road is lined on both sides with Sea Almond trees. They can also be found in East Coast Park.
  Flowers of the Sea Almond |
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 Close up of the flowers |
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 Fruits of the Sea Almond |
 Leaf arrangement of the Sea Almond |
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 Crown of the Sea Almond |
 An avenue of the Sea Almond trees |
N.B: Write-up and photos credited to the NPARKS.
