The Changi Story
This will be my first spotlight story on the trees of Singapore and also Singapore's garden city heritage, I hope through this series to bring better awareness to tree conservations here in Singapore as well as hopefully across our region in Southeast Asia. Perhaps, take your children to explore the heritage trees of Singapore, have a picnic by the beach and admire these majestic trees, I have included the heritage tree trail map here.
Today, I would like to feature a tree name that is world famous, but yet at the same time remains quite unknown, it is quite a paradox.
The far eastern tip of Singapore located an area called Changi, where there is a stretch of Changi beach park, a Changi Jetty (to go to Pulau Ubin), Changi Golf Club, Changi Village, Changi Sailing Club, Changi Chalet, and various other established businesses since the colonial days bearing the name of Changi, not forgetting Singapore Changi Airport.
But, do you know, the name "Changi", how it came about? You guess it right, if your guess is that it came from a tree named Changi - 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑙 or natively known as Chengal wood (pronounced "chengai"), it was one of the key raw material used to construct our heritage black and white bungalow houses, and in modern times swimming pool decks, board walks, outdoor bridges flooring, etc., it is a very hard and dense wood, and also for its weather and termite resistance properties. The tree was thought to have been extinct as listed in the 1994 Red Data Book.
The NParks 2017 Factsheet on species recovery programme indicates that the earliest record of 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑙 in Singapore dates to 1894. However, prior to 2002, 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑙 was thought to have become extinct in Singapore. The rediscovery of a 𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑙 specimen still growing in Changi was thus momentous, and the tree was declared a National Heritage Tree.
Discovery of the tree
On 26th Oct 2002, a team of nature enthusiasts surveying the Changi area (used to be a forest reserves area) came across an old tree located along Halton Road, which was later identified by its binomial name Hopea sangal its native name is "Chengal Pasir" or "Chengal mata kuching" ("chengal" pronounced "chengai"), a species of plant in the dipterocarp family (a group of timber trees). The tree is native to Singapore, parts of Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, and commonly used as timber. Nature enthusiasts believed that this was possibly the species from which Changi derived its name.
Last of its kind
The last of its kind on Singapore soil, and one of the oldest of its kind found in Changi was estimated to be at least 150 years old, about 35m in height and with a girth of 330cm. On the same year it was discovered, a month later, it was sadly felled on 20 Nov 2002 by a property management company DTZ - DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, claiming that it was a hazard to its surrounding managed assets.
The felling of the tree came to light when N. Sivasothi – nature enthusiast and research officer at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research – discovered the stump while on his way to Pulau Ubin. By then the tree had already been cut, and he witnessed the trunk being sawn into two and carted onto a lorry.
The then vice president of Nature Society (Singapore), Shawn Lum, refuted DTZ’s claims that the tree was a public hazard. Lum said that the tree was still healthy despite being struck by lightning, and had just recently flowered – a phenomenon that takes place every three to 10 years for this particular species of tree. Lum also said that the tree could have lived for many more years if left undisturbed. The company was eventually fined S$8,000, taking into account that DTZ was a first-time offender. The company was also ordered to pay S$76,035 as compensation to the state for loss of the tree.
As a result of the incident, areas around Singapore has been earmarked Trees Conservation Area (TCA), click here for more information. Owners of houses sitting in these areas who wishes to fell a tree in his property has to submit a written request to the Commissioner of Park and Recreation of NParks. The application must state the reasons for felling the tree and/or be accompanied by a report from a professional arborist.
All Is Not Lost
Despite the trials the species went through, today, the tree thrives in various parts of Singapore now, serving as a living testament to the power of preservation and the determination of a nation to protect its natural treasures.
Seeds recovered in September 2002 were grown in National Parks Board's Pasir Panjang Nursery. On 7 November 2004, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew planted a sapling in Hendersonville (between blocks 103 and 104), Henderson Crescent. By 2010, saplings of the tree had been planted at the Singapore Zoo, Botanic Gardens, Changi Museum and the Singapore Changi Airport. In 2005, the Parks and Trees Act was amended to impose stiffer fines on developers and contractors who chop down protected trees.
Story of Changi Tree in WWII
There was yet another tree, misidentified as the "Changi Tree" in the early days of Singapore history an exceptionally tall tree of this species growing at Changi was used as a navigation landmark on maps to mark the eastern approach to the Straits of Johor. The tree was a 76 metre tall Sepetir tree (Sindora wallichii) an edangered species, is native to Singapore, it was felled by the British for fear of it being used as a bombing target by the Japanese. More on that story here.
The same species of the Sepetir tree can now be found at The Gardens by the Bay.
Reference Sources
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7moThank you, Kenneth Looking forward to more spotlight story on the trees of Singapore and also Singapore's garden city heritage. 🌳🌴
Managing Director | Driving Innovation, Transforming Space
7moThanks for sharing, a very insightful article. I didn't know Changal still exist in Singapore. I would love to take a closer of it because I have not seen one in the wild since I thought it has extincted on our shore.