THINK ABOUT IT!!!
- Published on Wednesday, 22 February 2012 14:05
- Category: Barangay Affairs
By Nerissa Bayan
During
the February 20, 2012 City Council Session, a group of environmentalists,
advocates, organizations, and students came to the city council to express
their strong opposition to the earth balling or cutting of 182 trees situated at
Luneta Hill for the construction of a parking complex. Dr. Michael A.
Bengwayan, an environmentalist, when given the time to speak before the city
council to further explain his position on what Hon. Richard Cariño termed as “tree
massacre”, in his dramatic expression of his position, explained of the importance
of the trees with regards to the maintenance of ecological balance.
Baguio
City is filled with the Benguet Pine, sometimes known as Pinus insularis. The City of Baguio is nicknamed “The City of
Pines”, as it is noted for large strands of this tree.
The
trees are of great importance, not only to businessmen in the timber or lumber
industry, but of great relevance to life. While it is true that trees can be
cut down and used as wood, it's likely that if not for trees, human life on
earth would not even be possible. Scientists believe trees are the largest
single source of breathable oxygen in the atmosphere. They're also a major
source of food and medicine. Finally, trees contribute aesthetically both
indoors and out and help to produce lower stress environments.
Plants
and animals exist in a sort of metabolic symbiosis. The oxygen animals and humans
need to breath is the waste product of the respiratory process of trees, a
chemical pathway that requires the carbon dioxide exhaled by animals. Unlike
animals, plants can generate their own carbohydrates, which they do in a
process called photosynthesis that takes the carbon from carbon dioxide and the
hydrogen from water. In both cases, oxygen is released. Earth's early atmosphere
contained very little oxygen, but millions of years of photosynthesis created
an environment of breathable air. Today, trees continue providing new, fresh
oxygen.
Perhaps there is
no need to further enumerate the importance of trees, apart from the production
of oxygen, it also helps in the generation of water. The water reservation in
various areas in the City of Baguio is due to the abundance of pine trees.
Logically, if the trees vanish, along with it is the water that we use
everyday.
The present issue on the cutting or earth balling of the
182 trees at Luneta Hill has received strong opposition from the constituency
because they know and understand the impending effects of the cutting or the
death of trees. Awareness of the importance of these trees and the
disadvantages to life itself should these be cut down or totally eradicated,
the advocacy to protect the trees must not be focused only on the 182 trees of
SM, but must as well be extended to the other areas of the City of Baguio. The
SM concern serves as an eye-opener. Only when the public has become aware of
the cutting or earth balling of the trees in SM has the public’s concern for
the protection of trees been ignited.
During
the February 20, 2012 City Council Session, a group of environmentalists,
advocates, organizations, and students came to the city council to express
their strong opposition to the earth balling or cutting of 182 trees situated at
Luneta Hill for the construction of a parking complex. Dr. Michael A.
Bengwayan, an environmentalist, when given the time to speak before the city
council to further explain his position on what Hon. Richard Cariño termed as “tree
massacre”, in his dramatic expression of his position, explained of the importance
of the trees with regards to the maintenance of ecological balance.
Baguio
City is filled with the Benguet Pine, sometimes known as Pinus insularis. The City of Baguio is nicknamed “The City of
Pines”, as it is noted for large strands of this tree.
The
trees are of great importance, not only to businessmen in the timber or lumber
industry, but of great relevance to life. While it is true that trees can be
cut down and used as wood, it's likely that if not for trees, human life on
earth would not even be possible. Scientists believe trees are the largest
single source of breathable oxygen in the atmosphere. They're also a major
source of food and medicine. Finally, trees contribute aesthetically both
indoors and out and help to produce lower stress environments.
Plants
and animals exist in a sort of metabolic symbiosis. The oxygen animals and humans
need to breath is the waste product of the respiratory process of trees, a
chemical pathway that requires the carbon dioxide exhaled by animals. Unlike
animals, plants can generate their own carbohydrates, which they do in a
process called photosynthesis that takes the carbon from carbon dioxide and the
hydrogen from water. In both cases, oxygen is released. Earth's early atmosphere
contained very little oxygen, but millions of years of photosynthesis created
an environment of breathable air. Today, trees continue providing new, fresh
oxygen.
Perhaps there is
no need to further enumerate the importance of trees, apart from the production
of oxygen, it also helps in the generation of water. The water reservation in
various areas in the City of Baguio is due to the abundance of pine trees.
Logically, if the trees vanish, along with it is the water that we use
everyday.
The present issue on the cutting or earth balling of the
182 trees at Luneta Hill has received strong opposition from the constituency
because they know and understand the impending effects of the cutting or the
death of trees. Awareness of the importance of these trees and the
disadvantages to life itself should these be cut down or totally eradicated,
the advocacy to protect the trees must not be focused only on the 182 trees of
SM, but must as well be extended to the other areas of the City of Baguio. The
SM concern serves as an eye-opener. Only when the public has become aware of
the cutting or earth balling of the trees in SM has the public’s concern for
the protection of trees been ignited.
A few months ago,
the National Greening Program of His Excellency President Aquino, which aimed
to plant as much as a million trees, has been launched. This prompted the
concerned government agencies, private institutions, and the constituency as a
whole to act and support the program. Hon. Joel Alangsab expressed his support
to such endeavor through a city council resolution, as well as mobilizing the
barangays to achieve the goal. However, we must likewise be aware that the
planting of a tree is not as simple as putting a seedling in the ground, and
covering its roots with soil, and planter in discharged of responsibility. It
is a longtime process which already depends on something beyond human control
which is the work of nature itself. We may plant as many as one thousand pine
trees a month, but then perhaps less than half or even lesser would survive for
the first three months. The lesson now lies not only in planting young trees,
but also, in the rearing and caring for the old trees, some of which might even
be aged than us. It is then time to start caring for the trees, not only
through advocacy, but in action. It is high time that we all dare to care for the
environment, for the trees, for every God-given beauty, which is life in
itself.
the National Greening Program of His Excellency President Aquino, which aimed
to plant as much as a million trees, has been launched. This prompted the
concerned government agencies, private institutions, and the constituency as a
whole to act and support the program. Hon. Joel Alangsab expressed his support
to such endeavor through a city council resolution, as well as mobilizing the
barangays to achieve the goal. However, we must likewise be aware that the
planting of a tree is not as simple as putting a seedling in the ground, and
covering its roots with soil, and planter in discharged of responsibility. It
is a longtime process which already depends on something beyond human control
which is the work of nature itself. We may plant as many as one thousand pine
trees a month, but then perhaps less than half or even lesser would survive for
the first three months. The lesson now lies not only in planting young trees,
but also, in the rearing and caring for the old trees, some of which might even
be aged than us. It is then time to start caring for the trees, not only
through advocacy, but in action. It is high time that we all dare to care for the
environment, for the trees, for every God-given beauty, which is life in
itself.
