DENR targets 85 % growth rate of greening program

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Laoag City—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is conducting on-site inspections of its local re-greening program covering about 4,000 hectares in the entire province of Ilocos Norte.

Provincial environment and natural resources officer Juan delos Reyes said they are currently evaluating the previously planted tree saplings launched in 2011 in support of the government’s National Greening Program (NGP).

On February 24, 2011, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 26, urging all national line agencies to embark on the “widest and most sustained reforestation venture ever” which is meant to plant 1.5 billion trees covering about 1.5 million hectares for a period of six years from 2011 to 2016.

In Ilocos Norte, Mr. Delos Reyes said they are eyeing least an 85 % growth rate of the reforestation project, participated in by mostly peoples’ organizations who are engaged in the project, which has an at least P17 million budget allocation.

According to Mr. Delos Reyes, there was a high mortality rate of the previously planted tree saplings in 2011 and 2012 hence, this time, they have intensified their efforts to ensure that the tree saplings to be planted this year are properly handled and can withstand prolonged drought.

Aside from the 4,000-hectare reforestation project of the DENR, the provincial government has also allotted about P25 million in 2012 and another P5 million from the congressional office to support the rehabilitation of critical watersheds and flood-prone areas particularly in the eastern and southern parts of the province.

Said amount was used for the Integrated Social Forestry (ISF) covering 156 hectares of watershed areas in Solsona, Ilocos Norte and 97 hectares of watershed areas in Dingras, Ilocos Norte.

Since the implementation of the reforestation project which is also aimed at generating more livelihood, Mr. Delos Reyes said the prevalence of illegal cutting of trees has been significantly reduced.

“So far, there were no reported incidents of illegal cutting of trees in our area of jurisdiction since we ventured into this project,” he said.

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