By Julie G. Fianza
BAGUIO CITY — As part of the Saleng/Pine Tree Festival celebration and for the environmental renewal program of the city, a total of 3,198 seedlings were planted last year by various groups in different locations.
Said number surpassed the target of 10,000 seedlings for planting set by the Urban Forestry Management Division by in-charge Floro Bastian and as reported to City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) head Atty. Rhenan Diwas and Assistant head Engr. Marivic Empizo.
Eighteen Baguio elementary, secondary and tertiary schools; 21 local and national offices/agencies, 7 companies and some home-grown businesses, 25 private and professional organizations and 54 barangays participated with 10,251 participants.
Coffee, citrus, cherry guava, ice cream bean, and other fruit-bearing trees were planted, as with Pine tree, Calliandra, bottle brush, Norfolk Pine, Ipil-ipil and Paper bark tree seedlings were propagated and made available to the public for planting.
The trees were planted in backyards, school grounds, parks and gardens, watersheds, in Irisan Eco-park and Diplomat hotel, and barangay-owned areas. There were also seedlings planted in the neighboring municipality of La Trinidad and notably, 250 pine seedlings were given to partners in Gataran, Cagayan.
In addition, 500 seedlings for planting in city dwellers’ backyards and private lots were also distributed during the 7th and Christmas version of the Environmental Waste Management and Sustainability Fair, Dec. 15, 2024 at Session Road and Malcolm Square.
According to Bastian, quarterly monitoring of the trees planted starts this month, with an ideal survival expectancy of 80%.
With a monthly sustainability fair targeted starting January 2025, 400 seedlings every month may be distributed to interested city dweller planters.
Bastian also said their office’ basic functions of planting, monitoring, nurturing and tree care point towards environmental protection, one of the city’s sustainable goals. (With reports from the Urban Forestry Management Division)
