EDC inaugurates vegetative nurseries in Antipolo, Negros

Geothermal leader Energy Development Corp. (EDC) recently launched two vegetative material reproduction (VMR) nurseries in Antipolo City, Rizal and in Valencia, Negros Oriental.

In support of the BINHI program, the company’s corporate greening initiative, EDC constructed state-of-the-art nurseries to restore 1,000 hectares of denuded forests and bring back the abundance of the country’s premium threatened native tree species within a decade.

The BINHI team has idenA tified, located and collected samples of 96 targeted threatened native tree species for propagation.

As the company aims to plant more native trees throughout the country, “the first VMR nursery in Luzon was built in Antipolo to serve the big and ever-growing demand for our native trees in the region. It can house a total of 50,000 seedlings at a time,” said Ricky Carandang, EDC’s vice president for corporate affairs.

The facility in Negros Oriental will serve the need for native seedlings of partners in the Visayas and the Greener Negros movement, which have committed to plant, grow and maintain at least 10 million trees in 10 years to restore the forests on Negros island.

To date, EDC has 152 partners from 16 regions who have pledged to plant and nurture native trees in addition to the 6.3 million seedlings that the company has planted since 2008.

With the establishment of the two VMR nurseries, EDC intends to multiply the endangered tree species in secluded spaces to safekeep the seedlings. The seeds planted in the nursery will be used to grow mother trees to ensure the survival of high-value and fast-dwindling native trees.

“Most of the species have limited stocks while some are not prolific seed producers. Mother trees are needed in our gene bank and this is where this scientific approach is useful,” said Jay Joel Soriano, head of EDC’s Negros Island Geothermal Business Unit.

Both nurseries utilize an automated mist irrigation system that can be programmed automatically with accurate time and percent moisture content to mimic conditions of a natural forest habitat.

EDC also plans to build another automated nursery in its Mt. Apo Geothermal Business Unit in North Cotabato to better serve partners in Mindanao.