Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan together with Assistant Regional Directors Al O. Orolfo for Management Services and Engr. Ignacio R. Almira, Jr. for Technical Services work with their hands removing weeds in NGP planted trees inside the La Mesa Water Reservoir area.
Some of the trees which are planted way back in 2012, have fortunately survived a number of typhoons and droughts that hit the region in the past. The trees are growing well through the diligent efforts of DENR-NCR farmworkers and partners in the private and civil society sector.
Ensuring the survival and growth of trees planted, however, it is one of the least participated activity in many forest or urban re-greening programs initiated in the past. Typically, volunteers are interested only in tree planting itself, but not in tree caring/growing activities—which include, among others, weeding and mulching.
DENR National Capital Region hopes to change this, as it will organize and encourage public participation in Tree Growing activities in the future when mass activities are allowed again.
"Planting trees are not enough, we need to ensure that every sapling that we plant survive and grow, because only then can we benefit from trees, especially in mitigating the impacts of climate change", Director Caancan emphasized.
We may think of trees as being separated to our urban spaces. Trees will always be a fundamental part of a successful urban city. Since trees act like a natural sponge absorbing water overspill from heavy rains and during typhoons. The roots of the trees prevent floods on a natural way, so if we have more trees in our cities, we will lessen the need for building flood control drains and water treatment facilities. The leaves of a tree cleanse the quality of air by trapping CO2 and other air pollutant, making trees essential as fight to climate change and global warming.
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