Tree Planting Day
Sunday, 7th November 1971
The Singapore government launched the annual Tree Planting Day. Dr. Goh Keng Swee launched the event by planting a rain tree in the morning at 9:30am on the summit of Mount Faber. A total of 8,400 trees and 21,677 shrubs and creepers were planted on that day. Because schools did not have classes on Sunday, they celebrated Tree Planting Day earlier, on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 November. Over 60 schools planted 600 fruit trees during those two days. Subsequent Tree Planting Days were held on the first Sunday in November. Initially, trees were selected for planting based on their quality and ease of propagation. Therefore free-seeding species such as acacia, sea apple, rain tree and pong pong were widely planted. But as they were slow in growing and making an impact, "instant trees", propagated from two-meter stem cuttings, were used and transplanted directly as semi-mature trees. In 1990, the 20th and last Tree Planting Day was held on Sunday 4 November 1990. The last Tree Planting Day launched the first Clean and Green Week.