DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will plant one million seedlings in Pangasinan to replace trees destroyed in grass and forest fires due to El Niño.
Celso Salazar, community environment and natural resources officer in Dagupan City, said the seedlings would be planted in 1,184 hectares of forestlands in the towns of Labrador, Aguilar, Mangatarem and Bugallon.
Among those to be planted are fruit-bearing and forest trees such as mango, narra, mahogany, molave, bakawan and acacia.
Salazar called on the public to join tree-planting activities to be held from June to August.
“Let us develop...love for nature and make our planting serious because we are now facing climate change. There is one solution to that, plant trees,” Salazar said.
He also urged the public to report illegal cutting of trees, irresponsible garbage disposal and kaingin farming to help protect the environment.