Vast tracts of Caraga land eyed for massive tree-planting drive
BUTUAN CITY – The government is planning to conduct tree planting activities in 29,647 hectares of denuded forest and erstwhile timberlands in the Caraga region next year in line with the National Greening Program (NGP).
The five Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENROs) and ten Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENROs) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) spread all over the five provinces and six cities in Caraga region will be mobilized and tapped for the project next year.
The state-of-the-art and modern mechanized- nursery center in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, which has a capacity to produce one million seedlings, will augment the requirement in the NGP sites when it is completely operational in January 2016.
“We need to produce about 53,237,039 seedlings, most of which will be provided by the mechanized nursery center in Bislig City,” stressed DENR 13 Regional Executive Director Nonito M. Tamayo, in an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin yesterday.
During the 4th Management Conference of the top regional, provincial, city and community officials of the Department of Natural resources (DENR) here early this week, the five PENR and CENR officers in the region including the Protected Area Site Unit of Dapa, Surigao del Norte have reported full accomplishment of NGP target for 2015 in their respective area.
This year’s achievement has brought to 65,951 hectares the total NGP area developed in the region by the DENR in over five years since the program was implemented.
The total number of seedlings planted in the different NGP sites in Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Island from 2011 to 2015 have already reached 38,993,226.
“DENR Secretary Ramon Paje was very happy about the output of the NGP in Region 13,” Director Tamayo said.
“I commend the entire personnel of the DENR for their full cooperation in achieving 100 percent of the NGP target this year,” he said. (Mike U. Crismundo)