PUBLISHED ONJuly 01, 2026 1:58 PMBYDana LeongA contractor that illegally cleared saplings planted under the OneMillionTrees movement at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve was handed a 24-month conditional warning by the National Parks Board (NParks).
The warning comes after investigations discovered that the illegal clearance at Lower Peirce Reservoir on May 29 was due to an error by a project supervisor, NParks said in response to media queries.
Jessica Kwok, NParks' group director for enforcement and investigation, said that the contractor involved had been doing works for the cyclical replacement of the boardwalk at the park and needed a location near the trail entrance to store materials.
Kwok added that NParks had communicated to the site supervisor that the area proposed by the contractor was not suitable for their storage space, and that NParks had identified a suitable location for storage, on the condition that no trees or plants would be affected.
The project supervisor had reportedly misunderstood the instructions left by the site supervisor, she said in a statement to the media.
When NParks discovered the unauthorised clearance and checked with the contractor, the contractor and project supervisor admitted their error.
The contractor also agreed to bear the cost of replanting and maintaining the cleared plot in Lower Peirce Reservoir.
Considering that it was the contractor's first offence, NParks decided to issue a conditional warning to the contractor and project supervisor.
Kwok also said that they will be charged in court for this offence if they commit another offence during the 24-month period.
While around 40 saplings and shrubs were cleared by the contractor, 60 new plants have since been replanted at the affected area on June 9.
The saplings replanted comprise species that were originally planted by the OneMillionTrees movement in 2025, in addition to three new species which are food plants for the Raffles Banded Langur and a variety of forest birds.
The OneMillionTrees movement aims to plant a million trees across the country by 2030. Based on AsiaOne's checks, 875,564 trees have been planted since its launch in April 2020.
Under the Parks and Trees Act, it is an offence to cut, collect or displace any tree or plant within any national park or nature reserve without permission. Offenders face a fine of up to $50,000 and/or up to six months' jail.
AsiaOne has reached out to NParks for additional comments.
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