AFFORESTATION AS AN INTERIM MEASURE TO IMPROVE RECLAIMED LANDS IN SINGAPORE

Land reclamation using clay and sand materials has been used to increase land area in Singapore. Although some of these areas are put to immediate use, others are ear-marked for future development. In the latter instances, in the interim period, afforestation measures involving some treatment of the land have been adopted. This paper discusses the process of afforestation at two sites with different but poor soils and the performance of the different species of trees planted (which are now 12 years old). The benefits of such an afforestation exercise are convincing and a similar but less expensive process could be adopted to afforest reclaimed lands or rehabilitate derelict lands in developing countries to provide wood for fuel or other purposes.