Tree Planting, Tarpaulines and Photo Ops

TREE PLANTING, TARPAULINES AND PHOTO OPS

by Antonio C. Antonio

July 11, 2014

Tree planting has grown to be a very popular pro-environment activity nowadays.  Most socio-civic organizations and even pro-environment groups do it and most companies and business groups make it a part of their corporate CSR (corporate social responsibility).  I should mention that planting trees is a worthy undertaking and must be encouraged.  The photos that I was able to get my hands on are just representative samples of tens of thousands more.  From these photos alone, we could already estimate at least a thousand people getting involved in tree planting.  The collage of photos is a testimony to our efforts at reforestation.

Again, I would like to highlight that tree planting is a worthy undertaking. But whether these tree planting projects will be (a) effective, (b) cost efficient and (c) sustainable will largely depend on several other factors.  I also do not know the extent of the planning that was put into these tree planting projects or what operative component parts were included in their implementation plan.  But what I know could come in the following questions which I believe should also be important concerns in a reforestation program… these are: 

1. Where are these trees being planted?  Are they being planted in urban suburbs where they will eventually to be felled later to make way because of land use conversion and infrastructure development?
2. Will the tree species being planted contribute to the more important role of trees such as (a) oxygen production and (b) carbon sequestration?  (We should consider that trees differ in character too.)
3. If these seedlings are being planted in the uplands, are the tree species being planted adaptive to the terrain of the planting venue?  Was there a corresponding study and verification made on the adaptability of the seedlings?
4. How can the survivability rate be kept at relatively high levels?
5. Are these seedlings protected by tree guards?
6. How many times are these planted seedlings visited per year to complete the regular weeding schedule?
7. Is there an appropriate timber stand improvement plan for the growing trees?
8. Will the trees, once grown to maturity, be safe from illegal and unauthorized felling and harvesting?

The above-enumerated questions may not be complete or cover the entire growing cycle of a tree to its maturity… there could be other relevant questions I could had missed.

This brings us to another important question: How costs efficient and sustainable are these tree planting projects?  It’s quite unfortunate that we have a cultural negative which is the result of our “ningas cogon” tendency.  A lot of the tree planting projects had not been thoroughly planned and the programmed activities never go beyond the mere motion of actually planting the seedlings.  Once the tarpaulins have been unfurled and pictures have been taken, the seedlings are planted and everybody goes home.  The poor unguarded seedlings are left alone to either die or survive.  More often, no one goes back, tend to them and make sure the seedlings are not consumed by stray animals or overwhelmed by the weeds, grass, shrubs and other more dominant grass species.

Cost efficiency and sustainability are mentioned here in the context that tree planting projects and programs have cost consideration.  The seedlings, the tree guards (plus transport and fabrication) and several weeding runs have costs too.  The tarpaulins, which incidentally are non-biodegradable, also do not come for free.  It will be a waste of time and material resources if a tree planting project is confined to the planting activities alone.  Left unattended after planting, the seedlings are doomed to die in the first eighteen months or so.  If this is the case, the tree planting project becomes meaningless.  At the end of the day, the activity was just a social event with all the trimmings of tree planting, tarpaulins and photo ops (or photo opportunities).

Just my little thoughts…

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