By Marjorie Gorospe
MALOLOS, BULACAN - Planting more bamboo trees can be one of the best ways to prevent landslides and even global warming, a study conducted by the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resource Office (BENRO) said.
BENRO chief Rustico de Belen also said large numbers of bamboo trees could mitigate soil erosion because bamboo roots are capable of expanding by 25 percent to hold six cubic meters of soil.
Planting bamboo trees is also more practical and sustainable because compared to other trees bamboos can be ready for harvest in as fast as three years.
In the study, bamboo trees could take up 33 percent more of toxic carbon dioxide and release 35 percent more oxygen compared to other trees. Hence, this could mitigate rampant carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.
In Bulacan, about 10, 000 bamboo shoots and other trees will be planted at the riverbanks of Bustos town which will be coordinated by BENRO, the local government, and non-government organizations.
Aside from its environmental benefits, bamboo trees, which are also called “poor man’s timber”, are capable of providing basic needs of a person from food, shelter, tools, and clothing.
This is the reason the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council was created in 2010 under the Executive Order No. 879.
E.O. 879 was created to prioritize the product development, promotion, and market access of our bamboo products as it has good qualities when it comes to stability, hardness, flexibility and high-density strength.
Other countries such as China, Vietnam, India, Japan and Thailand are continuously conducting research to produce more innovative ways of maximizing the use of bamboo trees.
