BAGUIO CITY Updates for the Expanded National Greening Program were presented during the Fourth Quarter Regional Development Council (RDC) sectoral committee at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) conference hall last week.
Presided by Chairperson Dr. Julie Cabato,the committee looked over the Expanded National Greening Program (ENGP) where survival rate was pegged at 85% for trees planted from 2011 to 2017. The survival rate for trees planted in 2018 shall be known next year.
A total of 122,281 hectares from 2011 to 2018, were planted with 87,892,785 seedlings, a little more than the target of 84,332,376 seedlings for 122,136 hectares. The trees planted are timber, fuelfood, agroforestry, coffee, bamboo, cacao, rubber and other fruit trees.
At least 2,011 peoples’ organizations and 14,908 households were involved in tree planting activities.
Areas planted were in Bangued and Lagangilang, in Abra; Calanasan and Conner, in Apayao, Baguio City and Buguias in Benguet; Alfonso Lista and Lamut in Ifugao; Pinukpuk and Tabuk in Kalinga; and Paracelis and Sabangan in Mt. Province.
As to the report, high seedling mortality is noted due to inaccessibility of planting area from the main road, and maintenance and protection of seedlings is limited to three years.Other organizations are also implementing re-greening projects thus a limited labor force for the ENGP.
Success stories however were noted: coffee plantations in Aguid and Mabisil, Sagada, Mt.Province; Mahogany, Citrus and Rambutan trees planted in Guinaang, Conner, Apayao; Pine tree seedling in Abiang, Taba-ao, Kapangan, Benguet. Other areas have been planted with Gmelina and Rubber trees, both for industrial benefits.
Thriving plantation areas were also noted in San Marcial, Bangued and San Ramon, Manabo, both in Abra; Guinzadan, Bauko, and Sabangan, Mt. Province; Pinto and Kiling in Alfonso Lista, and Posnaan, Aguinaldo, both in Ifugao; Butbut Proper, and Tinglayan and Romualdez, Rizal, both in Kalinga.
Other topics discussed during the council meeting were the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) airshed, Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP), Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management (INREM) Project, the Baguio Water District rain water harvesting facility, Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility Project, Watershed Sector, and Proposed Landslide and Flood Risk Management using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology./Julie G. Fianza
