DENR to intensify tree-planting drive in 2013

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will intensify its reforestation efforts in 2013 through the government's National Greening Program, said Secretary Ramon Paje. Paje said the program aims to plant trees covering about 1.5 million hectares by 2016. Since the program was launched in 2011, the DENR has already planted seedlings on more than 232,000 hectares all over the country. Because of the perfect score garnered by the administration’s twin forest policies, the Philippines improved by eight notches to No. 42 among 132 countries on the international Environmental Performance Index (EPI), an evaluation of the sustainability of nations'  environmental programs and policies by Yale University, Columbia University, the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. The Philippines outranked countries like South Korea (43rd), Australia (48th), United States (49th), Singapore (52nd) and Israel (61st). Paje also lauded the Department of Education and thanked Secretary Armin Luistro for requiring all public schools in Metro Manila to plant at least five species of native trees within their campuses. As an essential part of the ecosystem, Paje said, trees not only provide homes and food for humans and wildlife, they also produce much of the earth’s oxygen, help reduce noise and air pollution, and prevent soil erosion. “Planting trees not only greens and beautifies the areas in which they are planted; it is also one of the ways of offsetting our carbon emissions,” he explained. Trees absorb carbon dioxide—one of the major contributing elements to the greenhouse effect which causes climate change—and give off oxygen that is needed by humans and other living organisms. The decimation of rainforests and mass consumption of trees destroy what experts call the “carbon sinks.” — BM, GMA News