SM Baguio plants 50,000 tree seedlings
IN CELEBRATION of the Cordillera Day, a total of 50,000 Benguet Pine seedlings were planted by the SM management and city government employees July 14 at the Busol watershed, adopted site of SM City Baguio.
Employees, together with representatives from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), local government of Baguio, and the Baguio Water District (BWD) trooped to the Busol watershed to plant some 20,000 Benguet Pine saplings as part of the company’s commitment to bring back the greenery of the city’s environment.
The 20,000 saplings planted were part of the 50,000 saplings committed to be planted by the company within the Busol watershed as Deyan Construction, SM City Baguio’s reforestation contractor, will be the one to plant the remaining balance of unplanted trees.
Aside from the 50,000 tree saplings that were planted in Busol watershed, SM City Baguio’s contractor will be planting another 50,000 fruit bearing trees in the perimeter of the 139-hectare property in Sto. Tomas School Area and Camp 7 for the remainder of the year.
From 2012 to 2014, SM City Baguio was able to plant within the Busol watershed some 24,092 assorted tree saplings which was the initial wave of trees planted within the city’s premier watershed supplying some 40 percent of the city’s potable water supply.
Under its reforestation contract with SM, Deyan is obliged to maintain the planted trees for a 3-year period until such time the planted trees will be able
to independently grow and service their purpose.
After the tree planting activities of the company have been completed within the year, SM still has a balance of some 350,000 assorted tree saplings to be planted in the different parts of the city, thus, its commitment to plant the half a million trees within five years could be shortened depending on the availability of the planting sites where the saplings will be planted and maintained by its contractor.
SM City Baguio assured stakeholders it will remain committed in helping concerned government agencies and the local government sustain their environmental preservation and protection programs to be able to maintain the city’s forest cover instrumental in balancing its cool climate for the benefit of the present and future generations. PR