DENR-7 activates Minglanilla nursery

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources- 7 started recently the P2.3-million regional clonal nursery in Camp 7 Minglanilla town, Cebu.

The newly completed 3-hectare clonal nursery intends to produce 20 million seedlings until year 2016 with a project cost of more than PhP18 million.

DENR-7 regional executive director Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo in a statement said the project is in line with the National Greening Program of the government and is one of the strategies implemented to meet the national target of planting 1.5 billion trees in some 1.5 million hectares until 2016.

Supervised by the Ecosystems Research and Development Services (ERDS), the clonal nursery now accommodates 230,000 seedlings in its hardening area, 26,310 cuttings per cycle in its rooting beds or mist system, and 6,944 cuttings per cycle in its recovery area.

ERDS started the operation of the nursery last May and based on its accomplishment report as of July 23, 2012, it has already produced some 8.8 million seedlings of indigenous and fruit tree species.

Montejo said the environment department intends to produce high quality planting materials for the NGP requirements in the region as “we set aggressive greening efforts purposely to reduce poverty while ensuring food security, biodiversity conservation, and address climate change.”

In an inventory conducted by DENR 7 as of July 2012, 23.4 million seedlings are now produced in various field offices in the four provinces of Central Visayas.

Montejo has also instructed all field officials to ensure the proper maintenance of the existing nurseries so that they would be able to supply the needed seedlings for various tree planting and growing program. – (FREEMAN)