WATERSHEDS AND RAINFORESTS

WATERSHEDS AND RAINFORESTS Dear Mr. President: It is good to know that many groups are implementing tree planting projects everywhere, including the DENR that is undertaking the National Greening Program (NGP). Despite all these projects however, there appears to be no overall goal or general direction that is guiding or integrating all these worthwhile initiatives. That is the reason why Mr. President, that with your approval, let us adopt the common goal of reviving our watersheds and rainforests, all over the country. I know that it is a long story to tell Sir, about how illegal loggers cut down the trees in our forests, and how that has resulted in devastating floods because we have lost the trees that retain the water in the mountain, therefore also depleting our watersheds in the lowlands. Sadly Sir, that is all lost in the past, but fortunately, we still have something to look forward to in the future, and that is the revival of our watersheds and our rainforests. What is the difference between an ordinary forest and a rainforest? While a few trees might be enough to form a forest, it takes much more and much longer to from a rainforest. According to Microsoft Copilot, “a rainforest is a specific type of forest that receives a high amount of annual rainfall--typically more than 2000mm (80 inches). Rainforests are knownfor their dense, lush vegetation and incredible biodiversity”. So there you go Sir, it is the amount of annual rainfall that makes the difference between an ordinary forest and a rainforest, and that rainfall is exactly what we need to restore our watersheds. Realistically however, it takes hundreds, if not thousands of years to form a real rainforest. But what is going to stop us from starting it now? It did not take is a hundred years to destroy our forests, so perhaps it will not take us a hundred years to grow at least a dense forest in all our mountains, perhaps just enough to hold water in the roots to reduce floods, and to feed water into our watersheds. To be able to implement this massive project Sir, we must do better than what the DENR did in the NGP. We cannot plant just plant any tree anywhere at any time. That is so because certain trees are best planted in certain soil types, and certain trees grow best when rainfall is most available at certain times. As a rule, we should no longer plant invasive species like mahogany and gmelina, even if we think that these already endemic. As a rule, therefore, we should only plant native tree species. According to some reports, gmelina has the reverse effect in water retention, because it absorbs all the water around it, thus depriving water from the other trees. Mr. President, may I respectfully suggest that you investigate what happened to the NGP? It appears that a lot of money has been spent for it, with nothing much to show. There are reports that many of the seedlings were overpriced, and deliveries were often “recycled” if you know what I mean. The good news is there are some NGOs that are working on the propagation of native tree species, and one of them is the Philippine Native Tree Enthusiasts (PNTE). IKE SENERES/10-22-2024