CenVis Reforestation Now 84 Percent Accomplished

Reforested areas in Central Visayas is now at 84 percent of the targeted area for reforestation.

In a Kapihan sa PIA recently, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) information officer Eddie Llamedo said the agency has reforested 66,000 hectares in the four provinces since the start of the National Greening Program (NGP) in 2011.

Llamedo added DENR-7 aimed to reforest some 75,000 hectares In its six year of implementation involving 207 people’s organizations in the region.

According to Llamedo NGP budget in the region already reached billions since each reforested hectare costs more or less P18,000 each with a minimum of 575 trees. Each tree costs P27.24.

In terms of seedling production, the agency recorded recorded 3% excess for seedling production in this year’s National Greening Program (NGP) target.

DENR-7 managed to produce 11,890,701 seedlings for 2015; 3% higher for the year’s target of 11,557,500.

According to DENR’s latest data, Negros Oriental recorded the highest with 6,918,185 seedlings followed by Bohol with 2,859,500 while Cebu produced 1,987,659 and Siquijor with 125,357 seedlings.

The NGP is a massive rehabilitation program of the government established by virtue of Executive no. 26 issued on February 24, 2011 by President Benigno C. Aquino III. It seeks to grow 1.5 million trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide within a period of six years from 2011 to 2016. (mbcn/fcc/PIA7)