BAGUIO CITY - The Cordillera Administrative Region office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-CAR) and the city government here has cleared most roads in the city with dead and infested pine trees to prevent the hazards they pose to motorists, pedestrians, and even private and public properties. For the past several weeks, concerned agencies had already cut down at least 62 pine trees which were issued cutting permits by the DENR central office early this year for the benefit of public safety considering the dangers they pose to life and limb once they fall unexpectedly. The areas where the dead and infested pine trees were cut are the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Baguio Convention Center tree park, South Drive Paterno Street, Outlook Drive, Ambuclao Road, Gibraltar Road, Leonard Wood Road, and along the site of the Presidential Mansion in Barangay Luwalhati. Based on initial estimates done by the DENR, the 62 cut pine trees have a total volume of 23.4 cubic meters in terms of lumber and will be stored at the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) for future public use. Experts disclosed that several pine trees were actually decaying because of the continuous attack of the "ips beetles" which are sometimes known as the engraver beetles which are described to be bark beetles that damage pine and spruce trees, especially in the different parts of the Cordillera. Studies show the ips beetles develop under the bark of the trees and slowly destroy them thereby resulting in the sudden drying up of the pine trees and eventually poses danger to life and limb, especially when found along major roads all over the region. Because of the bark beetle attack on most pine trees, the city environment and parks management office (CEPMO) ordered the conduct of an assessment of all the trees that have grown in various roads in the city in order to determine their situation whether or not they are dead or infested so that appropriate measures will be undertaken by the local government before it will be too late and something might happen that will compromise public safety.
Aside from conducting an inventory on the number of dead or infested trees, the city government is also working out the planting of numerous seedlings all over the city to replace the cut ones in order to help sustain the city's identity as the Summer Capital of the Philippines due to the presence of pine trees that hell maintain its cool and romantic weather.
The city also tapped volunteer groups and institutions to help its effort to reforest barren mountains to help prevent the influx of informal settlers who want to invade even identified watershed and forest areas where habitation is supposed to be restricted.
Schoolchildren are also being empowered to actively participate in tree planting activities so that they will be able to learn that the preservation and protection of trees is important in their lives so that the same will be passed on to the future generations who will be able to treasure the gifts of God to the people.
Pine trees thrive well in the city and all parts of the Cordillera because of the prevalence of semi-temperate weather condition suitable for such tree species
