Hydro firm Hedcor aims for 282,500 trees to be planted in Benguet, Ilocos Sur and Davao for 2012.
For the first two quarters of this year, the company has already planted 45,000 trees.
To achieve this year’s goal, Hedcor will conduct more tree-planting activities from July to October, identified as the rainy season in Benguet and Ilocos Sur to ensure the seedlings’ survival.
“We need to speed up our tree planting to increase carbon sinks for CO2 that contribute greenhouse gasses causing global warming. Our tree planting will contributes more for the conservation of watershed and this is what we want,” said Hedcor vice president for business development Boy Jabonillo.
“Healthy forest will sequester more carbon which helps mitigate global warming. It can now retain more water to prevent flooding and erosion,” Jabonillo said.
The average survival rate of trees for the first two quarters is 90 percent. It surpasses the company’s target of 87 percent and way above Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ target survival rate of 80 percent.
“Getting good environmental impact from the trees we have planted in our committed land will guarantee for watershed conservation and protection,” Jabonillo said.
In Sibulan, Davao del Sur and Talomo, Davao City, the company’s watershed management plan (WMP) includes reforestation, roadside rehabilitation and riverbank stabilization.
The areas protected are home to seven run-of-river hydropower plants in the region with a total capacity of 47 MW.
Hedcor sets initiatives and implements actions to aid the local government in giving solutions on how to lessen the effects of global warming, to control flash floods and even to protect the community from harms of soil erosion.
Hedcor strengthens its coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to help address the present environmental problems.
