In defense of trees

In Baguio, some 500 old pine trees in a four-hectare area of Camp John Hay reservation will be removed and transferred to give way to site development. These trees, we learned, are wind buffers in the area. Surprisingly, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) allowed this. This process was also done to 29 age-old mahogany and rosewood trees at the Plaza Roma fronting the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, similarly to give way to development. Although the process of earthballing was considered instead of cutting, the survival of the transplanted trees is not sure. Foresters say that the survival rate of earthballed trees, especially old, large trees is very low. Many factors should be considered in the earthballing process, like the kind of specie, roots system, diameter, age, height, habitat and time. Mostly earthballed trees do not survive simply because their natural survival is impeded upon.

Trees provide shade and beautify our surroundings. God made them in such a way that they not only beautify, they also have a role in preserving the natural landscape. Trees prevent erosion and provide a weather-sheltered ecosystem in and under their foliage. They help restore the productivity of the land and soil. Trees also act as carbon sinks. They produce oxygen and absorb harmful carbon dioxide building up in our atmosphere, as well as moderating ground temperatures. The wood from trees is a building material, as well as a primary source of energy in many developing countries.

Through time, man’s indiscriminate activities have wrought irreparable damage to the environment. Brought about by the release of too much harmful greenhouse gases that build up in the atmosphere, global warming is now the most serious threat yet to mankind’s existence. Much has already been said about it and, now that we are able to comprehend its effects, we hasten to undo what we have foolishly done all these time. One good thing though about our current situation is that we can still repair the damage that we have done to our atmosphere.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), for instance, has an ongoing global tree planting campaign called the “Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign”. The program succcessfully elicits the commitment of people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments as they are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges online with the objective of planting collectively at least one billion trees worldwide each year. Also, many alternative sources of energy have been discovered and created to replace the fossil fuels that we are currently using. Too, many nations, especially the progressive ones, whose giant industries are the largest consumers of fossil fuel, have agreed to cut down on usage to reduce carbon emissions. Now, many countries, including ours, are embarking on tree-planting activities that can help in the battle against global warming. We cannot overemphasize the value of planting more trees considering the disastrous effects of global warming on our planet. As we have mentioned many times before, trees absorb the harmful carbon emissions released in our atmosphere, thereby reducing the greenhouse gases that damage the ozone layer.

Here, many groups have also launched various tree-planting activities, among them, Department of Environment and Natural Resources or DENR’s “Green Philippine Highways” Project, Sen. Loren Legarda’s “10-10” campaign to plant 10 million trees all over the country in the next ten years, as well as several municipal greening campaign. We are glad that Mr. Danilo Villas, Head of Makati City’s Department of Environmental Services, has been coordinating with the Makati Commercial Estate Administration and the Makati Parks and Green Division to follow our suggestion to plant trees along Ayala Avenue extension to enhance the area and combat pollution. They informed me that urban greening is an important component in the Makati Environment Management Plan and they follow the guideline of one-to-four (1:4) tree-to-person ratio. They also implement what is called the “Adopt a Street” Program, which aims to beautify the secondary roads in partnership with the Liga ng mga Barangay and the private sector. Makati City provides a good example for other cities to follow, especially in highly urbanized areas.

God created our world with trees in them. He designed them with a purpose. But man instead, destroys them. Nature will not go haywire if man’s quest for development will not affect the natural environment. Instead of cutting, we must plant. When we plant a tree, it is something that will enhance the life of, not only, the present generation, but also of future generations. In short, a tree is one of the things that we can leave behind when we go to the next world.