Tree Inspections and Liability for Damages Related to Falling Trees

16 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the regular inspections of trees are done by NParks staff or outsourced to a landscape company; and (b) whether the public liability insurance by NParks covers damages due to natural causes.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Trees under NParks' purview are regularly inspected by NParks’ Certified Arborists. Inspections are not outsourced to landscape companies. Beyond regular inspections, NParks prunes trees to make them more resistant to storms. NParks also substitutes storm-vulnerable species like the Albizia with hardier trees. This comprehensive tree management programme has been effective in reducing the number of tree incidents by more than three-fold since 2001.

Having said that, trees can fall despite our best efforts. When accidents happen due to natural causes, NParks’ public liability insurance only covers claims where NParks is shown to be negligent. If NParks has exercised its duty of care in keeping to its tree management regime, the insurance will not pay out as NParks would not be culpable for circumstances beyond its control.