Nickel Asia plants more than 5M trees since 2008

With President Rodrigo Duterte placing a strong emphasis on the importance of tree-planting for the protection and enhancement of the environment, Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC) is ready.

Like many responsible, large scale mining operations, NAC’s subsidiaries have been engaged in tree planting since the beginning of their operations. Tree-planting is a community activity that involve employees and community residents working together to protect their environment.

“We heard the President loud and clear and we are ready. In fact, as part of the mine rehabilitation and restoration programs in all our operations, fast growing trees such as Agoho have been planted, mixed with other species such as Mangium and Acacia that grow at least six feet in six months,” said Rogel Cabauatan, assistant vice president for environment and community relations.

“Responsible miners are tree planters!” he added.

In the last 10 years, NAC has planted 5,549,437 trees, covering a total land area of 2,980 hectares.

“We welcome the focus on the significance of treeplanting. We have taken these activities to heart for years now and NAC strictly abides by the many laws of the land pertaining to tree-planting,” Cabauatan said.

These laws include Presidential Decree No. 953 that requires the planting of trees in certain places and penalizing unauthorized cutting; Presidential Decree No. 1153 that requires the planting of trees every month; Republic Act No. 10176, the observance of Arbor Day or an Act authorizing the celebration of the Day for Tree-planting as an annual event; and Executive Order No. 193 that expands the coverage of the National Greening Program.

Most importantly, NAC strictly complies with Presidential Decree No. 705, amended by EO No. 277, mandating that every tree cut shall be replaced by 100 seedlings.

“Tree-planting engagements bring people together, encouraging community involvement and empowerment and it is a big part of our commitment to environmental stewardship,” added Jomer Tiamson, Forester for Cagdianao Mining Corp. (CMC), a subsidiary of NAC.

Just last month subsidiaries of NAC – Hinatuan Mining (HMC), Taganito Mining (TMC), Rio Tuba Nickel (RTN) and CMC – celebrated Women’s Month and the International Day of Forest by planting more trees, recording an additional 7,500 trees planted in the mining communities for March alone.

The active involvement of the mining communities is a critical part in the success of the companies’ tree-planting programs.

According to Forester Jose “Butch” Sebua, environmental manager for HMC, many of the planting materials are sourced from residents of the mining communities.

HMC also was acknowledged for its participation in a Mindanao-wide tree-planting event called the “TreeVolution” that the Guinness World Records has recognized as the most number of trees planted simultaneously at multiple locations: 2.2 million trees.