DENR-7’s seedling production now 99% done

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region VII is set to fully complete the balance of more than 160,000 seedlings by July 31 for the seedling production under the national greening program.

About 12,844,993 seedlings or 99 percent already of the 13,009,433 target for this year have been accomplished for the seedling production.

DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Dr. Isabelo Montejo revealed in a statement that the agency is set to complete the balance fully in order to adequately address the planting inputs of good quality materials.

According to the data released by the forest management services (FMS) as of July 12, Cebu has produced 4,215,020 seedlings while Bohol produced 3,253,619 seedlings. Negros Oriental got the highest number with 5,638,142 and Siquijor Province with the least number produced at 37,000 seedlings.

Montejo said it is very big accomplishment for Region 7 now that we have almost completed our seedling production and the rainy season has just started.

They are looking forward to a great performance also in their plantations.

Also, the plantation accomplishments have reached around 3,837.86 hectares or 16 percent of the total target of 24,361 hectares for 2013 as of July 12 with an average survival rate of 80 percent.

Montejo said that they need to establish plantations in a daily average of 230.74 hectares or 1,617.53 hectares per week until October 30 so that they would be able to meet the agency’s objective of reforesting 20,523.14 hectares by setting out and augmenting their personnel on the field.

In an expanded executive committee meeting last July 15 attended by the four provincial environment and natural resources officers (PENROs), Montejo issued instructions to fast track or hasten the plantation activities in select forest land areas.

Montejo added that the government is on full gear to undertake a massive greening program towards reducing or alleviating poverty while ensuring food security, biodiversity conservation, and address climate change.

The national greening program aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in some 1.5 million hectares from 2011 to 2016, which is more than twice the government’s accomplishment of 730,000 hectares for the past 25 years.

DENR-7 spokesperson Ed Llamedo recalled that Region 7 has planted around 8,070,042 seedlings covering 11,018.40 hectares in 2012.

Llamedo said that among the areas targeted for planting under the program are forestlands, mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and military reservations, urban area under the greening plan of local government units, inactive and abandoned mines and other suitable lands.  (FREEMAN)