NParks, NTU experiment special soil for tree planting
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NParks, NTU experimenting with special soil for tree planting
SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are experimenting with a special type of soil for growing trees.
The four-year project involves a special mix of coarse gravel and topsoil, and researchers aim to find out if trees can grow healthily in this special soil.
If the results are positive, the special soil will be useful in overcoming space constraints in tree planting, especially in places such as footpaths and narrow roadside areas.
The special soil may also enhance tree stability, so that trees will not get uprooted easily.
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By Amresh Gunasingham - A SPECIAL soil mix to grow rain trees in spaces typically not favourable to them, such as footpaths and road carriageways, may be a step closer to reality here.
A team of 13 researchers is experimenting with four variations of soil mixture to plant 20 rain trees - a common roadside tree in Singapore - on a vacant plot opposite the IMM shopping complex in Jurong.
The trial is being carried out under a $130,000 project jointly funded by the National Parks Board (NParks) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Rain trees were chosen because they have relatively faster growth rates and hence, can provide 'fast solutions,' said Dr Tan Puay Yok, Assistant Director of the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology at NParks, who led the four year research effort which will be completed in May.
Rain trees can grow up to 25 metres tall.
The team's findings so far have shown that rain trees planted on structured soil - which consists of a mix of coarse gravel and topsoil - show a comparable growth rate to trees grown on normal topsoil.
'If we are able to put structural soil under under foot paths, road crossings and carraigeways, for example, it offers a solution to plant trees in areas previously not suitable for growing trees,' said Dr Tan.
The soil mix also has the added advantage of enhancing tree stability, as it allows for deeper root penetration and access to water and nutrients required for growth.
'Trees grown on structural soil have a reduced chance of being uprooted in the event of heavy thunderstorms, which are common in the region,' added Dr Tan.
Last year, the incidence of tree uprooting dropped by 62 per cent, from over 3,000 cases in 2000, said Mr Simon Longman, Director of Streetscape at NParks.
Over the last two decades, the amount of green cover over Singapore has jumped from 36 per cent in 1986, to 47 per cent in 2007, said an NParks spokesman.
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The picture is nice.
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the picture is taken by straits times journalist one