PSG plants 3,500 pine seedlings in Baguio

MANILA, Philippines — Around 350 members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) recently took part in a tree-planting activity within the grounds of The Mansion, the official summer residence of the President and one of the tourist spots in Baguio City.

More than 3,500 Benguet pine seedlings and saplings were planted in the area in support to the advocacy of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for a cleaner ecology and to increase the number of tree species in the city, DENR Cordillera Administrative Region executive director Ralph Pablo said.

Around 74 percent of The Mansion’s 14.7-hectare property is partially forested or classified as “open forest.” It is located along Leonard Wood Road, across Wright Park.

Pablo said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu expressed concern over the declining number of pine trees in the city when he attended the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming in February.

The DENR provided the pine seedlings and saplings planted by the participants.

An inventory conducted by the DENR showed that of the 2,498,019 trees planted within Baguio City’s 5,750-hectare territory, 351,493 or 14 percent are pine trees.

Pablo said most of the pine trees are found in areas classified as “closed forest” or “closed canopy” such as Camp John Hay and parks near Teachers Camp and the PMA headquarters.

Also included in the inventory are other types of trees including alnus, eucalyptus and calliandra.

Pablo cited construction growth as among the reasons for the decline of pine trees in the country’s summer capital.