Farewell Planting with Mr.Graham Silverthorne

In honour of Mr. Silverthorne, our head of campus, who left UWCSEA East in January, the Parents' Association with Ms. Psillides approached our service group for the opportunity to plant an indigenous rainforest tree on campus. On behalf of Rainforest Restoration, Anthony joined the planting and explained the significance and importance of conserving indigenous tree species in Singapore.

This planting is a reminder of Mr. Silverthorne’s lasting impact on our College even as he moves on from UWCSEA and would also further enhance the biodiversity of our College and local community. Fittingly, the tree is symbolic of our College's committment to sustainability.

Cynometra ramiflora is a tree indigenous to South East Asia, and it has been documented that it can grow up to 26 meters in height (Canopy height is from 20 to 30 meters). When mature, the tree flowers as delicate, white clusters. It grows natively in mangrove forests and along coastline areas of Singapore, and prefers medium to full sunlight. However, due to decades of urbanisation and coastal development, it is unfortunately critically endangered in Singapore. It is now confined in the wild to a limited range in select nature parks and protected areas. This is why it is important that we can conserve the biodiversity of Singapore by restoring native tree species to our local environment.

Rainforest Restoration has been generously supported by the Kirtida and Bharat Mekani Environmental Sustainability Fund via the UWCSEA Foundation and our longstanding collaboration with the Plant Resource Center at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. They provide our nursery with indigenous rainforest trees, including the Cynometra ramiflora that was given to us to nurture several years back. We would like to also extend our thanks to the facilities team and service deparment for organizing this valuable event. 

References:

Cynometra Ramiflora L. (April 20, 2020). Flora and Fauna Web. National Parks Board. Accessed from: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/8/2834.

Three new groups learning tree nursery skills

With Local Service suspended due to COVID-19, we have even more students than usual milling about in our tree nursery. A Middle school group works with Mr Meehan on Wednesday; a Grade 9-10 group with Mr Daniels and Ms Haley on Thursday; and a Grade 11 group with Mr Tomlin on Friday. Meanwhile, a URRP GC group also meets at lunchtime on Friday, literally getting their hands dirty. As if that weren't enough, a Magic Mulch group meets on Thursday afternoon, taking invaluable compost to trees around the campus that started life in the nursery. The new URRP groups are following a basic tree nursery course that introduces them to the theory and practice of how to:

1. germinate seeds
2. 'pot up' seedlings
3. grow new trees (clones) from cuttings
4. grow new trees by means of air layering ('marcottage')
5. plant a tree

It's an exciting time — especially with NParks keen to involve us in their One Million Trees movement — and we look forward to a new batch of students coming through the nursery in Season 2 (Nov-Jan). The late Nobel Peace Prize winner Waangari Maathai once said, “Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You are just talking.” Keep digging!

Collaboration with NParks: One Million Trees

We are delighted to be part of a collaboration with NParks, supporting the One Million Trees movement. This is a nationwide effort to plant a million trees over the next 10 years and we hope that thousands of those trees will be raised in our new GreenHeart nursery.

UWCSEA Rainforest Restoration Project (URRP) staff met with NParks staff on 24 September. We have already received seeds from NParks and plans are afoot to plant URRP-raised saplings in parts of the Southern Ridges, such as Kent Ridge Park and the Rail Corridor. URRP staff will also visit theNParks nursery at Pasir Panjang during the October half-term break.

Rainforest Restoration Project film

In 2018/2019, Nicolas Sugandi (UWCSEA Dover, Grade 12 film student) worked with UWCSEA's former Director of Sustainability, Nathan Hunt, to capture the work of the Rainforest Restoration Project in a short film.

As well as sheltering hundreds of often critically endangered tree seedlings, the specialist nurseries on both UWCSEA campuses are helping to nurture the next generation of reforestation scientists and advocates. Our long-term partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and NParks, the Singapore government’s National Parks Board, is providing both excellent opportunities for applied learning for UWCSEA students and exciting chances to contribute to Singapore’s national strategy for biodiversity conservation.

Watch the film below.

Alexandra Park tree planting

Ms Edwards and Ms Henry

barely breaking a sweat.

As a slightly belated celebration of International Day of Forests (21 March), a small group of URRP staff and students planted ten trees at the Alexandra Park estate on 25 March. A pair of white-collared kingfishers flashed aquamarine between the existing trees and called out raucously as we worked. 

All of the trees were raised in our Dover nursery and all but one (Broad-leafed Mahogany) was an indigenous species. The full list comprised:

• Barringtonia asiatica (Fishkiller)
• Cynometra cauliflora (Nam Nam)
• Hopea bracteata (Merawan Ungu)
• Hopea ferrea (Ceylon Ironwood)
• Litsea elliptica 
• Mimusops elengi (Tanjung, Spanish Cherry)



Ríona helped plant five trees.





• Moringa oleifera (Horse-radish tree)
• Shorea materialis 
• Sterculia foetida (Hazel Sterculia, Java Olive)
• Swietenia macrophylla (Broad-leaved Mahogany)

The Sterculia tree has an interesting etymology: Sterculius was the Roman god of cow dung and "foetida" means stinking! The name refers to the fact that all parts of the tree exude an unpleasant smell while it is flowering.

Mr Daniels takes the strain while
working out with Moringa.

Mea has planted many trees
over the past two years.

Neat Nursery

In recent weeks, Andy Tan and his landscaping team, together with Facilities staff and outside contractors, have done an impressive job of reorganising the Dover nursery. Rotting wood and broken pots have been disposed of, replaced by lightweight metal tables with mesh tops and relaid artificial turf. Even our Shade House has had a makeover.

The Rainforest Restoration Project should soon be moving its base to the space near the new Ecology Centre. As we do so, we should dispose of our much-loved but dilapidated cupboards. As ever, we should ensure all our species are labelled and bring our inventory up to date. A next step may be to seek new stock from NParks while also using cuttings to propagate some indigenous species.

COVID-19 has interrupted our meetings with NParks partners, but we are exploring the possibility of being assigned a section of the Rail Corridor for reforestation, from seedling collection, through nursery care, planting and subsequent monitoring of tree growth.

New Season for East RFRP

Students learning about species and relevant identification skills
(Species in picture: Adenanthera pavonina)

Students learning about species and relevant identification skills

With the coming of the new season as too are new challenges and experiences. New students have for the second time this year joined the service marking the start of season 3. Taking new students to explore the campus flora and fauna is our first key step into their integration, and a key exciting event for the newcomers. However challenges await, a lack of plant resource availability has forced us to explore new avenues in our nursery; while new students must be taught essential skills. They have begun learning about the different species on campus, distinguishing them through observing features such as leaf shape, height and colour. 

While some of the students tried to finish our plant inventory management project, a crucial but painstaking process, others watered and maintained the plants. Nonetheless, with these newcomers comes opportunities for growth, both in the nursery and at heart as a new generation of conservationists is born.

Sheet used for identification (leaf shapes)

Students actively communicating