Forest Giants in Singapore

Photograph: A forest giant planted at Yishun Park.

Forest Giants in Singapore

According to National Parks Board's article, forest giants have been planted in Yishun Park. Forest Giants are better known as Dipterocarp (two-winged fruit). This name is derived from the two- to five-winged fruits that this family of trees produces.

These forest giants are iconic trees that can live up to 1000 years old. They do not look like giants of the forest now, but give them time and they can reach up to 80 metres high.

Photograph: Closer look at forest giant tag on plant.

Nparks has planted Singapore's first Dipterocarp Arboretum at Yishun Park since June last year. Forest Giants are a diminishing tree stock that are unique to the Indo-Malayan rainforests. Yishun Park now contains more than 800 forest giants of over 700 species.

Some of these forest giants species planted include Dipterocarpus grandiflorus (Keruing belimbing), Hopea helferi (Giam Lintah Bukit), Neobalanocarpus heimii (Chengal), and Shorea sumatrana (Senkawang).

They will likely be featured in the future when free guided walks and tree hunts are organised by Nparks as part of their public education programmes.

The Forest Giant project at Yishun Park is made possible by sponsorship from Banyan Tree.

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Nparks Message To Dog Owners

Nparks Message To Dog Owners

I believe most dog owners in Singapore love and care for their pets. These owners also act responsibly when they bring their pets to public parks for walks. Yet there may be a black sheep or two who would tarnish the image of dog owners. As a reminder to those inconsiderate ones, these are the messages provided by National Parks Board (Nparks) on a sign at Yishun Park in Singapore.

I reprint the messages below in view of my poor quality photograph:

Please keep dogs on leash.

Please clean up your dog(s)'s droppings.

Dogs to be muzzled in public.
(12 breeds and related crosses are mentioned
with photographs: Akita, Boerboel, Bull Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, German Sheperd, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pit Bull, Rottweiler and Tosa.)

We also seek your cooperation to ensure that your dog does not urinate at pillars and trample on planting beds.

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A Short History of Yishun Park

A Short History of Yishun Park

What has SeenThisSceneThat come up with this time, on the topic of Yishun Park's history? Well, the simple answer is that this prominent sign was staring at me on my visit to the park, located next the SAFRA Country Club. The profound answer is this: with the recent financial turmoil and recession fears, I thought that perhaps I could learn a thing or two about frugal living from people of the past in Singapore who led difficult hardworking lives.

Photograph: Make a short visit to Yishun Park for its history.

Quote from information board, located at Yishun Park, Singapore:

“Located at the heart of Yishun Housing Estate, this park was the site of a former rubber plantation. In the 1920s, this was also the site of Chye Kay village, the inhabitants of which were mainly rubber tappers. Besides tapping rubber, most of these frugal hardworking people also reared poultry and grew fruit trees for home consumption.

The site was rich in natural vegetation and Nparks capitalized on this, by retaining most of the natural vegetation in the central part of the park, to provide the much needed contrast to the manicured and landscaped areas of the surrounding HDB housing estates.

We can still see some rubber trees and fruit trees in this area, a stark reminder of the frugal and hardworking people of Chye Kay village who once lived here. All that we need is a little imagination to go back in time and visualise the life led by the people of this small Chinese village. This area would also provide a refuge for people who would like to spend some time with nature."

Photograph via Picture Archives Singapore: Workers at a rubber plantation

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Free Fruits In Singapore: Yishun Park

Jackfruits at Yishun Park

Free Fruits In Singapore: Yishun Park

If you wander around Yishun Park in Singapore, you will notice tropical fruits are available free of charge during the fruiting season. I have seen durian fruits, rambutan fruits and jack-fruits hanging on branches at Yishun Park. Three roads bound this park in northern Singapore: Yishun Central, Yishun Ring Road and Yishun Avenue 4.

Nparks does not mind if park visitors pick up fruits that have dropped from the branches. However, under the Trees and Parks Act of Singapore, there are penalties if the fruit trees in public parks like Yishun Park are damaged in the fruit collecting process.

While I started my visit to Yishun Park with family with the intent to enjoy a stroll and the playground facilities, I was soon distracted by other visitors who were snooping around fruit trees with an eye to collect a free harvest of ripe fruits.

From my observations of the various free fruits on offer, the most difficult to lay hands on at Yishun Park are the durians. Firstly, durian trees at Yishun Park, probably planted many years ago, now reach heights that are too high for a safe climb. Secondly, for every durian tree that is ripe with fruits, there is always a ‘bodyguard’ or two hanging around them at most times in Yishun Park.

I saw elderly ladies and gentlemen sitting on benches of Yishun Park waiting patiently to chase after the fallen durian fruits. After friendly chats, we ascertained that at least one of these visitors had admitted that she was indeed waiting for the ripe durians to fall. For the record, not all durians drop from their high perches after sundown according to this freelance durian collector we spoke to.

Free Fruits are Dangerous at Yishun Park

Waiting for a ripe durian to fall at Yishun Park can be a risky venture. Warning signs are erected to instill fear of head injury due to falling durians. Moreover, the law of gravity can be painfully and acutely experienced as the fruits start their descent from a truly great height. The thick forest canopy at Yishun Park also hides the location of sneaky durians.

I was fortunate on this visit not to be hit by falling fruits. In fact I had an opportunity to catch sight of a harvest of free fruits in action.

Free Falling Rambutan Fruits at Yishun Park

Can you see this guy hanging high up in the branches while his friend scoops up the fallen rambutan fruits? The lady cyclist using Yishun Park as a shortcut couldn’t stop herself from picking up some of the fruits that had accidentally fallen into her path.

Free Fruits At Yishun Park

Neither could we.

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