We have two kinds of weather in Singapore, hot and wet, or hot and wetter. In our concrete jungle, most street trees serve the important purpose of providing shade and lowering temperatures.
Ah. Shade. The bigger the tree the better right?
Not quite.
Sure, a large tree looks beautiful if properly maintained, but an poorly maintained large tree, grown in the middle of a city is both a hazard and an eyesore.
Source: CSK Landscape Services (S) Pte Ltd
Provides zero shade
It goes without saying that large trees are not as easy to maintain as smaller ones. Sure, parks need their large, …Read More
Singapore is mostly boring, and that is a good thing.
Trains and buses arrive on time, elevators work, and drinking water straight out of a tap is generally safe.
However, when it comes to town council tree management, there is space for improvement.
On 27th Aug 2020, our principal arborist saw fungal fruiting bodies and a crack on a tree. These are clear signs of imminent failure. So he did the right thing and contacted the town council using OneService.
To their credit the town council replied in a timely manner.
Source: CSK Landscape Services (S.) Pte Ltd
Red circle around the fungal …Read More
As with tree failures that we have not visited, here is a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: The arborists writing this article have not physically visited the site. All observations are based on publicly available photos on Google Maps, Google Street View, and news reports. All comments should be taken with a heaping pile of salt.
A tree fell over near Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Block 68, on 13th Dec 2020, at around 7am. The owners of several vehicles struck by the falling tree were majorly inconvenienced, but luckily nobody was injured.
The Straits Times reported that a motorcycle owner, who had his vehicle damaged in …Read More
Imagine the biggest tree you can. Well maybe not the biggest tree you CAN imagine, our imaginations are pretty amazing after all.
Source: Germanic Mythology
The Norse gave us a tree that connected the universe
Let’s be a little less ambitious, and stick with the largest tree that you can find…in Singapore.
A heritage tree will do, while they do not compare to the largest monster trees in the world, they are large enough to make our point.
Lush, strong, majestic, and much like someone jaded with life, completely dead on the inside.
Source: NParks
It’s hard to tell, but this …Read More
Source: Tan Kok Leyong Nursery Sdn. Bhd.
I was recently surprised by a friend asking for advice on buying a tree. It was literally the first time anyone had asked me for tree shopping advice. My first thought was, I should tell them to hire us. Followed shortly by, So this is what selling insurance to your friends feels like.
Nevertheless, I gave them a few words of advice for free, and left them to their own devices. I would like to share those few words here.
Without further ado, here are 5 things to look for when buying a tree.
1. Planting …Read More
I was recently sent an image of a tree with stilt roots and long pointed leaves. It looked something like this.
Source: Wikipedia
Not the actual picture sent to me.
The sender asked, “What tree is this?”
And I told them, “Oh, it’s a Pandanus of some kind. I can’t tell you the species from your picture, but it is related to pandan you find in food.”
In hindsight, the next question was inevitable.
“Is pandan a tree?” asked the sender.
Good question. And after a little bit of research, yes. The humble pandan, used in Southeast Asia for its flavour, and sometimes as …Read More
They say that failure is the mother of success, and tree failures are no different. There are lessons to be learnt from every tree failure. But before we begin, here is a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: The arborists writing this article have not physically visited the site. All observations are based on publicly available photos on Google Maps, Google Street View, and newspaper reports. We will strive to give the benefit of the doubt without naming any parties involved. Remember, everything always looks clear in hindsight, and the important thing is to improve moving forwards.
So without further ado, let’s get to the tree …Read More
You may see workers removing most of the leaves on a tree here in Singapore, and leaving ugly bare stubs. This form of pruning is called topping, and we have discussed some of the reasons why this happens.
In this post, we would like to share with you why it is bad, both for the tree and for people.
But wait, we hear you ask. Drawing an imaginary line around the shape of what you would like the tree to look like, and pruning along that line is surely the right way to do it? After all, we trim bushes and …Read More
One of the many questions asked of arborists in Singapore is, “How old is that tree?”
The short answer is, “We don’t know.”
The slightly longer answer will be, “Ask the people who planted it.”
But wait, we hear you ask, why don’t we just cut it down and count its rings? Everybody knows counting a tree’s rings is the way to find out its age right? There are ways to estimate a tree’s rings without cutting it down, but as much as we would like to count them, they will not give us a tree’s age here in Singapore.
Source: CSK …Read More
Is your favourite tree bare after its latest pruning? What used to be a shady umbrella now resembles a hat rack, and the pavement beneath it feels hot enough to melt through your shoes.
Take a look at our 5-dollar note. Our first president, Yusof bin Ishak, looks great. Now turn it around, and you should see a drawing of a tree.
Source: CSK Landscape Services (S) Pte Ltd
Our very own money tree.
This iconic Tembusu (Cyrtophyllum fragrans), with its low outstretched branch, sits on Lawn E of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was chosen as the mascot for our garden city when the portrait series banknotes were first introduced in 1999, and we have carried its picture in our wallets ever since.
Singapore just celebrated her 55th birthday, so here are 5 …Read More
Removing all live foliage is NOT a good idea. Note the leaves on the lorry and not on the tree.
You may have noticed that areas with poorly maintained trees get hotter.
This is no coincidence, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reports that tree cover can affect temperatures by up to 5.7°C (Ziter, 2019). It is the difference between being in the tropical heat at 30°C and in an air-conditioned room at 24 to 25°C.
The urban heat island effect is the result of concrete, asphalt and other impervious man-made surfaces interacting with sunlight, thereby raising …Read More
Some of the largest trees in Singapore are from the genus Ficus (fig trees). How did they become so successful? Our Arborists takes a closer look at reproduction.
What does it mean when a tree has been inspected?
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) divides tree risk assessment into three levels.
Need a dose of serenity? Maddening crowd getting you down?
Here’s a quick list of 5 Rooftop Gardens.
Just planted a new tree?
It may be small now, but with a basic understanding of tree biology, you can help it grow to its full potential.
Landscape design is sometimes overlooked when building or renovating an estate. Here are several reasons why that may be the case.
Arborists are translators, communicating a tree’s messages to humans. But there is great pressure to fall in line with the property owner’s expectations and dispose of liability.
How do myths perpetuate? Are they based on loose truths – or can they be unfounded and harmful? Here are 5 common tree care myths:
Myth 1. Trees planted deep = strong deep roots.
You can’t see root flares when trees are planted too deep. Trees should be planted with root flares above the soil line. The root flare is adapted to be dry and free of soil – if buried in the soil and constantly moist, root flares are susceptible to disease and a source of stress for trees.
Myth 2. Trees require lots of water
Trees need water, but probably not as much …Read More
16 June 1963, Mr Lee Kuan Yew plants a Mempat tree (Cratoxylum formosum) at Farrer Circus, launching an island-wide greening movement that has continued for more than five decades.
Image Source: http://www.asiaone.com/singapore/trail-mr-lees-trees
As a testament to the pace of redevelopment in Singapore, of the more than 60 trees planted by Mr.Lee since 1963, 39 have survived while the rest (including that first Mempat tree) no longer exist.
Green Heritage
Heritage trees are individual or groups of trees that are so special that they are worthy of recognition and protection for future generations. These trees broadly fit into three main groups; visual importance, scientific value …Read More
Running into an unfamiliar species is always an interesting experience, identification can be challenging, with plenty of trial and error. Even with the power of the internet behind you, information can be limited and frustration is common.
However, when you finally get that “Eureka!” moment and find a match, what follows is a rush of adrenaline and an excited flurry of research. In the meantime, having a distinctive species smugly sit in front of you while being unable to identify it is hair-tearing.
Never has this experience been more pronounced when I was faced by this species at Bukit Brown Cemetery.
I felt …Read More
Glance out the window in Singapore and it’s likely something will be waving back at you. It might be smooth or scaly, bigger than a bus or small enough to push over.
We live in a literal urban jungle, with trees peeping from around buildings, lining the sidewalk, or dominating plazas and courtyards.
“There is little in the architecture of a city that is more beautifully designed than a tree.” – Jaime Lerner
How do Singaporeans co-exist with our big mature trees?
Part of the answer is that our estate managers and urban planners work hard every day with architects, landscapers and arborists; trying …Read More
With over 2 million trees in Singapore, there are massive variances in maintenance standards between trees.
A commonly seen example of bad pruning is “topping”. This practice chops large branches back to a pre-determined limit, into stubs without sufficiently large leaf-bearing branches (also known as a “terminal leader”) nearby. Some trees decline and eventually die because of periodic topping.
Topping is a temporary solution at the expense of overall tree health. Other more sustainable solutions, like thinning and size reduction, could have been implemented with the same resources.
Here is a Syzygium grande that has been repeatedly topped for “safety purposes”. This species has been criticized …Read More
Falling tree kills X, injures Y, damages Z.
You have seen the headlines, shared it on social media, or perhaps even written to a political representative about it.
With approximately 2 million trees planted in Singapore, perhaps you are wondering what basic actions you can take to safeguard yourselves and your family.
We’ve come up with a list 5 things you can do to stay safe.
1) Don’t stand under trees during a thunderstorm.
Anyone under that tree deserves their Darwin Award.
This one is a no brainer. Don’t stand under trees when there’s a thunderstorm.
Lightning absolutely loves Singapore and taller objects (like trees!) …Read More
• Compact: several times smaller than conventional splice
• Flexible: ends are about as flexible as a rope
• Lightweight: reduced weight enhances safety for work in trees.
• Meets EN1891:1998A requirements
[slaice]™ is a patented, industrially manufactured connection developed by TEUFELBERGER.
The climbing rope is spliced AND stitched at termination to form a flexible eye, which means less bulk, easier handling and
facilitates its installation in a cambium saver. Seams protected with TREFEULBERGER’s new resin-based protector [tnt].
Products now available! Please enquire for details.
This year, Singapore play host to the Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Competition (APTCC) on 25 – 26 July at the Cathay Green. A total of 60 competitors from seven Asia Pacific countries pit their skills against each other for the top spot.
We too held our own little competition at our booth. Competitors are to saw the thinnest wood slice using Silky’s Katanaboy folding saw, the longest folding saw in the World.
Visitors from all walks of life also get go hands-on with our wide range of Silky saw. For more photos do visit us at our Facebook page (link).
Air excavation has become a preferred method for digging on many jobs ranging from utility work to advanced tree care. Excavating with the AirSpade offers a number of advantages over traditional tools such as picks, shovels, crowbars and backhoes, including:
Two to three times faster than hand excavation.
Less worker fatigue than a pick or shovel.
Eliminates sharp metal edges as featured on picks, digging blades, or buckets.
Harmless to bury solid objects such as utility lines, telecommunication cables, tree roots, hazardous waste containers, or military ordnance.
Excavates some rocky soils where a shovel is difficult to use.
Breaks soil into small particles that are ideal …Read More
Pollarding is an annual process that usually farms will execute. Also it is used in the Europe as there are seasons.
Topping cut are not a good practice as it cause various problems for the tree.
This dissected section of a topping cut shows new shoots growth not attached to the wood, causing future problems. The discoloration also sets into the branch. Poor tree is fighting to defense itself against pathogens.
ISA Certified Arborist in Singapore still manage street trees that their contractor is implementing. We should review the curriculum of a certified arborist.
Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! That was what I heard from the crowd when I’m pushing my best for the
Secured Footlock event. All spectators had their eye on me as I was the last competitor for the day.
Before starting the event, I told the crowd that the objective for me was to break my own record because I had never touched that bell 15 meters above me. The journey seems endless when my heads up looking at the bell. All I can hear is the cheer and the support that kept me going when I was about to give up. …Read More
We have two kinds of weather in Singapore, hot and wet, or hot and wetter. In our concrete jungle, most street trees serve the important purpose of providing shade and lowering temperatures.
Ah. Shade. The bigger the tree the better right?
Not quite.
Sure, a large tree looks beautiful if properly maintained, but an poorly maintained large tree, grown in the middle of a city is both a hazard and an eyesore.
Source: CSK Landscape Services (S) Pte Ltd
Provides zero shade
It goes without saying that large trees are not as easy to maintain as smaller ones. Sure, parks need their large, …Read More
Singapore is mostly boring, and that is a good thing.
Trains and buses arrive on time, elevators work, and drinking water straight out of a tap is generally safe.
However, when it comes to town council tree management, there is space for improvement.
On 27th Aug 2020, our principal arborist saw fungal fruiting bodies and a crack on a tree. These are clear signs of imminent failure. So he did the right thing and contacted the town council using OneService.
To their credit the town council replied in a timely manner.
Source: CSK Landscape Services (S.) Pte Ltd
Red circle around the fungal …Read More
As with tree failures that we have not visited, here is a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: The arborists writing this article have not physically visited the site. All observations are based on publicly available photos on Google Maps, Google Street View, and news reports. All comments should be taken with a heaping pile of salt.
A tree fell over near Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Block 68, on 13th Dec 2020, at around 7am. The owners of several vehicles struck by the falling tree were majorly inconvenienced, but luckily nobody was injured.
The Straits Times reported that a motorcycle owner, who had his vehicle damaged in …Read More
Imagine the biggest tree you can. Well maybe not the biggest tree you CAN imagine, our imaginations are pretty amazing after all.
Source: Germanic Mythology
The Norse gave us a tree that connected the universe
Let’s be a little less ambitious, and stick with the largest tree that you can find…in Singapore.
A heritage tree will do, while they do not compare to the largest monster trees in the world, they are large enough to make our point.
Lush, strong, majestic, and much like someone jaded with life, completely dead on the inside.
Source: NParks
It’s hard to tell, but this …Read More
Source: Tan Kok Leyong Nursery Sdn. Bhd.
I was recently surprised by a friend asking for advice on buying a tree. It was literally the first time anyone had asked me for tree shopping advice. My first thought was, I should tell them to hire us. Followed shortly by, So this is what selling insurance to your friends feels like.
Nevertheless, I gave them a few words of advice for free, and left them to their own devices. I would like to share those few words here.
Without further ado, here are 5 things to look for when buying a tree.
1. Planting …Read More
I was recently sent an image of a tree with stilt roots and long pointed leaves. It looked something like this.
Source: Wikipedia
Not the actual picture sent to me.
The sender asked, “What tree is this?”
And I told them, “Oh, it’s a Pandanus of some kind. I can’t tell you the species from your picture, but it is related to pandan you find in food.”
In hindsight, the next question was inevitable.
“Is pandan a tree?” asked the sender.
Good question. And after a little bit of research, yes. The humble pandan, used in Southeast Asia for its flavour, and sometimes as …Read More
They say that failure is the mother of success, and tree failures are no different. There are lessons to be learnt from every tree failure. But before we begin, here is a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: The arborists writing this article have not physically visited the site. All observations are based on publicly available photos on Google Maps, Google Street View, and newspaper reports. We will strive to give the benefit of the doubt without naming any parties involved. Remember, everything always looks clear in hindsight, and the important thing is to improve moving forwards.
So without further ado, let’s get to the tree …Read More
You may see workers removing most of the leaves on a tree here in Singapore, and leaving ugly bare stubs. This form of pruning is called topping, and we have discussed some of the reasons why this happens.
In this post, we would like to share with you why it is bad, both for the tree and for people.
But wait, we hear you ask. Drawing an imaginary line around the shape of what you would like the tree to look like, and pruning along that line is surely the right way to do it? After all, we trim bushes and …Read More
One of the many questions asked of arborists in Singapore is, “How old is that tree?”
The short answer is, “We don’t know.”
The slightly longer answer will be, “Ask the people who planted it.”
But wait, we hear you ask, why don’t we just cut it down and count its rings? Everybody knows counting a tree’s rings is the way to find out its age right? There are ways to estimate a tree’s rings without cutting it down, but as much as we would like to count them, they will not give us a tree’s age here in Singapore.
Source: CSK …Read More
Is your favourite tree bare after its latest pruning? What used to be a shady umbrella now resembles a hat rack, and the pavement beneath it feels hot enough to melt through your shoes.
Take a look at our 5-dollar note. Our first president, Yusof bin Ishak, looks great. Now turn it around, and you should see a drawing of a tree.
Source: CSK Landscape Services (S) Pte Ltd
Our very own money tree.
This iconic Tembusu (Cyrtophyllum fragrans), with its low outstretched branch, sits on Lawn E of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was chosen as the mascot for our garden city when the portrait series banknotes were first introduced in 1999, and we have carried its picture in our wallets ever since.
Singapore just celebrated her 55th birthday, so here are 5 …Read More
Removing all live foliage is NOT a good idea. Note the leaves on the lorry and not on the tree.
You may have noticed that areas with poorly maintained trees get hotter.
This is no coincidence, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reports that tree cover can affect temperatures by up to 5.7°C (Ziter, 2019). It is the difference between being in the tropical heat at 30°C and in an air-conditioned room at 24 to 25°C.
The urban heat island effect is the result of concrete, asphalt and other impervious man-made surfaces interacting with sunlight, thereby raising …Read More
Some of the largest trees in Singapore are from the genus Ficus (fig trees). How did they become so successful? Our Arborists takes a closer look at reproduction.
What does it mean when a tree has been inspected?
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) divides tree risk assessment into three levels.
Need a dose of serenity? Maddening crowd getting you down?
Here’s a quick list of 5 Rooftop Gardens.
Just planted a new tree?
It may be small now, but with a basic understanding of tree biology, you can help it grow to its full potential.
Landscape design is sometimes overlooked when building or renovating an estate. Here are several reasons why that may be the case.
Arborists are translators, communicating a tree’s messages to humans. But there is great pressure to fall in line with the property owner’s expectations and dispose of liability.
How do myths perpetuate? Are they based on loose truths – or can they be unfounded and harmful? Here are 5 common tree care myths:
Myth 1. Trees planted deep = strong deep roots.
You can’t see root flares when trees are planted too deep. Trees should be planted with root flares above the soil line. The root flare is adapted to be dry and free of soil – if buried in the soil and constantly moist, root flares are susceptible to disease and a source of stress for trees.
Myth 2. Trees require lots of water
Trees need water, but probably not as much …Read More
16 June 1963, Mr Lee Kuan Yew plants a Mempat tree (Cratoxylum formosum) at Farrer Circus, launching an island-wide greening movement that has continued for more than five decades.
Image Source: http://www.asiaone.com/singapore/trail-mr-lees-trees
As a testament to the pace of redevelopment in Singapore, of the more than 60 trees planted by Mr.Lee since 1963, 39 have survived while the rest (including that first Mempat tree) no longer exist.
Green Heritage
Heritage trees are individual or groups of trees that are so special that they are worthy of recognition and protection for future generations. These trees broadly fit into three main groups; visual importance, scientific value …Read More
Running into an unfamiliar species is always an interesting experience, identification can be challenging, with plenty of trial and error. Even with the power of the internet behind you, information can be limited and frustration is common.
However, when you finally get that “Eureka!” moment and find a match, what follows is a rush of adrenaline and an excited flurry of research. In the meantime, having a distinctive species smugly sit in front of you while being unable to identify it is hair-tearing.
Never has this experience been more pronounced when I was faced by this species at Bukit Brown Cemetery.
I felt …Read More
Glance out the window in Singapore and it’s likely something will be waving back at you. It might be smooth or scaly, bigger than a bus or small enough to push over.
We live in a literal urban jungle, with trees peeping from around buildings, lining the sidewalk, or dominating plazas and courtyards.
“There is little in the architecture of a city that is more beautifully designed than a tree.” – Jaime Lerner
How do Singaporeans co-exist with our big mature trees?
Part of the answer is that our estate managers and urban planners work hard every day with architects, landscapers and arborists; trying …Read More
With over 2 million trees in Singapore, there are massive variances in maintenance standards between trees.
A commonly seen example of bad pruning is “topping”. This practice chops large branches back to a pre-determined limit, into stubs without sufficiently large leaf-bearing branches (also known as a “terminal leader”) nearby. Some trees decline and eventually die because of periodic topping.
Topping is a temporary solution at the expense of overall tree health. Other more sustainable solutions, like thinning and size reduction, could have been implemented with the same resources.
Here is a Syzygium grande that has been repeatedly topped for “safety purposes”. This species has been criticized …Read More
Falling tree kills X, injures Y, damages Z.
You have seen the headlines, shared it on social media, or perhaps even written to a political representative about it.
With approximately 2 million trees planted in Singapore, perhaps you are wondering what basic actions you can take to safeguard yourselves and your family.
We’ve come up with a list 5 things you can do to stay safe.
1) Don’t stand under trees during a thunderstorm.
Anyone under that tree deserves their Darwin Award.
This one is a no brainer. Don’t stand under trees when there’s a thunderstorm.
Lightning absolutely loves Singapore and taller objects (like trees!) …Read More
• Compact: several times smaller than conventional splice
• Flexible: ends are about as flexible as a rope
• Lightweight: reduced weight enhances safety for work in trees.
• Meets EN1891:1998A requirements
[slaice]™ is a patented, industrially manufactured connection developed by TEUFELBERGER.
The climbing rope is spliced AND stitched at termination to form a flexible eye, which means less bulk, easier handling and
facilitates its installation in a cambium saver. Seams protected with TREFEULBERGER’s new resin-based protector [tnt].
Products now available! Please enquire for details.
This year, Singapore play host to the Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Competition (APTCC) on 25 – 26 July at the Cathay Green. A total of 60 competitors from seven Asia Pacific countries pit their skills against each other for the top spot.
We too held our own little competition at our booth. Competitors are to saw the thinnest wood slice using Silky’s Katanaboy folding saw, the longest folding saw in the World.
Visitors from all walks of life also get go hands-on with our wide range of Silky saw. For more photos do visit us at our Facebook page (link).
Air excavation has become a preferred method for digging on many jobs ranging from utility work to advanced tree care. Excavating with the AirSpade offers a number of advantages over traditional tools such as picks, shovels, crowbars and backhoes, including:
Two to three times faster than hand excavation.
Less worker fatigue than a pick or shovel.
Eliminates sharp metal edges as featured on picks, digging blades, or buckets.
Harmless to bury solid objects such as utility lines, telecommunication cables, tree roots, hazardous waste containers, or military ordnance.
Excavates some rocky soils where a shovel is difficult to use.
Breaks soil into small particles that are ideal …Read More
Pollarding is an annual process that usually farms will execute. Also it is used in the Europe as there are seasons.
Topping cut are not a good practice as it cause various problems for the tree.
This dissected section of a topping cut shows new shoots growth not attached to the wood, causing future problems. The discoloration also sets into the branch. Poor tree is fighting to defense itself against pathogens.
ISA Certified Arborist in Singapore still manage street trees that their contractor is implementing. We should review the curriculum of a certified arborist.
Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! That was what I heard from the crowd when I’m pushing my best for the
Secured Footlock event. All spectators had their eye on me as I was the last competitor for the day.
Before starting the event, I told the crowd that the objective for me was to break my own record because I had never touched that bell 15 meters above me. The journey seems endless when my heads up looking at the bell. All I can hear is the cheer and the support that kept me going when I was about to give up. …Read More