Narra, Acacia trees cut down to make way for Skyway 3 Project

More than 400 large trees will be cut down and over a thousand medium-sized ones will be earth-balled to make way for the Skyway 3 Project, GMA 7 news program "24 Oras" reported on Tuesday.



A hundred trees lined up along the center island of Araneta Avenue in Quezon City have already been chopped down.

Arborist and tree surgeon Dr. Isidro Esteban inspected what was left of a 30-year-old tree that was cut down and said that the tree was a Narra. “Ang characteristic ng Narra ay may exude na red sap. It's either red or yellow. This is Narra, yes," Esteban explained.

Some of the other trees cut down were identified as Acacias. Both are considered hardwoods, used to create durable furniture and other items.

Authorities, meanwhile, defended the cut-downs, explaining that because of their size and the scope of their root systems, they could no longer be earth-balled and transferred. Thus, they were cut down and used to create tables and chairs for schools.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources also said that they had no choice but to allow the trees to be cut down. "DENR kami so gusto sana namin ma-preserve sana 'yung mga trees na 'yun,” said DENR-National Capital Region director Lourdes Wagan.

“Pero dahil this is a national project, as much as possible, ang ginawa namin during our inventory, kung may masi-save kaming trees, ginagawa namin 'yan."

The DENR also said that the Skyway 3 Project's contractor, Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation, had provided 60,500 seedlings in exchange for the trees they taken down.

But the seedlings they will provide were not Narras and Acacias. They will be smaller trees like the Kamunings, Alibangbangs, and Bougainvilleas, since Metro Manila no longer has the space for big trees.

Meanwhile, the trees that were earth-balled will be transferred to Marikina City.,

However, environmentalists argued that the DENR and the Skyway 3 Project contractor should have saved the big trees to decrease air pollution. Their experience also told them that trees like the Narra and Acacia could be earth-balled.

"Imagine mo, 30 years 'yan. Maghihintay ng 30 years para lumaki ang halaman. Okay lang palitan pero... dapat hindi pinatay," said Manila Seedling Bank president Leonardo Ligeralde. — Trisha Macas/DVM, GMA News