The Department of Environment and Natural Resources celebrated Philippine Arbor Day last Wednesday with various tree planting activities.

Headed by regional director Samuel Peñafiel, around 150 DENR employees planted thousands of seedlings at the Baguio Dairy Farm in Dontogan Barangay. They were joined by around 70 volunteers, including students from various city schools and employees of the SM City Baguio.

Other groups also went back to their tree-planting areas last year, which include Marcos Highway, Kennon Road, Philex Road, Naguilian Road, and Halsema Highway.

Around 5,000 seedlings of calliandra, eucalyptus, pine, agoho, gmelina, mahogany, coffee, and langka were planted by the groups in the city.
Regionwide, the department targeted 100,000 seedlings to be planted.

The activity was in observance of Presidential Decree 643 issued by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 9, 2004, amending Proclamation 396 dated June 2, 2003, declaring every 25th of June as Philippine Arbor Day to be observed nationwide by planting trees and ornamental plants and other forms of related activities.

Arbor Day is defined simply as “a day when individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees.”

Over at Kapangan municipality in Benguet, municipal officials and employees planted 650 Benguet coffee and 150 calliandra seedlings in the municipal compound in Lomon. Their observance of Arbor Day was headed by mayor Roberto Canuto and vice mayor Lauro Lorenzo.