Popular Instagram tree in Punggol removed

SINGAPORE – The next time you visit Punggol Waterway Park, an iconic tree that once drew shutterbugs will no longer be there.

The tree, popularly known as #InstagramTree online, was cut down today (Dec 16) as scheduled after arborists had earlier certified the tree was dead. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced last week that the tree, which had been struck by lightning in July, would be removed in the interest of public safety.

Some members of the public gathered at Punggol Waterway Park to watch as workers cut down the tree today.

After the HDB's announcement, many also took to social media to bid farewell, including one Instagram user who put up a series of nine photos. Some 200 photos were posted on Instagram with the hashtag #InstagramTree over the past week, bringing the number of posts with the hashtag to more than 1,700.

In the last caption of the nine-photo series, Instagram user @flyingpistachios wrote: "Thank you for being so picturesque. Singapore should erect a statue of you on your very spot in celebration of the most famous tree."