ILOILO – Between 2020 and 2022, the provincial government, in collaboration with 42 towns and the component city of Passi, planted 5,113,318 seedlings, of which only 48 percent survived, data from the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO), which conducted thorough monitoring and reporting, showed.
In 2023, an additional 1,547,739 seedlings were planted across the province.
According to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., monitoring is still underway by PGENRO and the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Offices (MENROs) to determine the survival rate.
The tree planting initiative is part of “Tanum Iloilo”, a program launched by Defensor since assuming office in 2019.
The program aims to plant 1.5 million trees annually to restore and develop the province’s forests from ridge to reef, to achieve the status of a “Forest Province”.
Mitzi Peñaflorida, PGENRO’s senior environmental management specialist, explained that a seedling is only considered to have survived if it remains alive after two years.
“You cannot consider a plant to have survived within a year of standing because it could still die once affected by disease or if not properly taken care of,” she said.
To increase the survival rate of planted seedlings, Defensor is exploring strategies, including continued engagement with accredited organizations and private sectors to potentially adopt forest sites.
“We have a pending strategy where we want our production forests to be adopted by the private sector. You take care of one hectare; we have to improve that,” Defensor said, emphasizing the adoption and nurturing of forest areas.
When asked about the impact of these tree planting efforts on climate change, the governor acknowledged the need for a detailed study before making definitive statements.
“You cannot rush this; significantly impacting climate change, I don’t think you will see a radical change because it’s not only about the trees. We also have to address the ozone layer and carbon emissions. Trees are a big part of that, but that’s not the only solution,” he said.
Currently, the focus is on planting fruit-bearing and native trees, which are more resilient to weather variations, especially during the dry season. However, the governor encourages the public to plant any type of trees in their surroundings.
The tree planting program is a long-term initiative of the provincial government, initiated under the administration of Defensor’s father, former governor Arthur Defensor Sr., as part of the Action for Re-Greening and Transformation for Climate Change Adaptation (ART for CCA) program./PN