Debated in Parliament on 5 Feb 2018.
Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for National Development in light of the recent cases of falling trees (a) whether NParks will consider increasing the frequency of tree inspections, particularly in high density population areas; and (b) what action does NParks recommend pedestrians and motorists take when they become victims of fallen trees.
Mr Speaker, the National Parks Board (NParks) already does more frequent checks for trees located in areas with high human and vehicular traffic. More specifically, NParks has increased its tree inspection frequency to address unpredictable and severe weather conditions. For example, trees along expressways and major roads used to be inspected every 12 to 18 months. Since 2012, trees in these locations have been inspected every six to 12 months. Since 2016, NParks has also instituted an annual second-level inspection for older trees of more than four metres in girth.
Besides increasing the frequency of inspections, NParks has introduced other measures to prevent tree fall incidents. First, NParks prunes trees to improve their structure and balance, especially before monsoon seasons. Second, NParks is developing new modelling techniques to understand the impact of adverse environmental conditions like strong winds and heavy rainfall on the structural integrity of trees. These ongoing studies will inform future improvements in tree risk management. With these checks and measures, the number of tree failure incidents in 2017 was the lowest on record at 406, having declined by 60% since 2012.
NParks is also supporting other stakeholders, like the Housing Development Board and JTC, which manage trees in Singapore by providing technical training on tree health and maintenance.
If members of the public are affected by a fallen tree, they can use the OneService mobile app to report the incident or call the NParks hotline. NParks and the relevant agencies will do whatever they can to render assistance to those affected.
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