DENR 7 Steps Up Drive Against Forest Fires

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 has stepped up its campaign against forest or bush fires with the coming of “dry’ months.

DENR-7 Regional Director Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo said the state environement agency has organized local community fire brigades in most of the national greening program (NGP) plantations in Central Visayas.

Started in 2010, the NGP has a total plantation of 80,713.53 hectares (has.) in four provinces of Central Visayas as of Dec. 31, 2015.

“We have composed a fire brigade in our NGP plantations particularly on critical or hotspots areas under the administrative jurisdiction of community environment and natural offices (CENROs) in Argao, Cebu City, Tagbilaran City and Talibon,” Montejo said.

Critical or hotspot sites are those areas with large NGP and ‘old’ growth plantations.

These include Argao and Oslob in Cebu; Ubay, Buenavista, Getafe, Pilar, and Talibon, all in Bohol.

“It is more sensible to avert forest fires rather than controlling them through regular monitoring and intensive and aggressive information, education and communication efforts with the communities,” Montejo said.

In Cebu City, the 630-hectare Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve (BWFR) which has been part of the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) has been closely monitored as the forest reserve is supplying close to 5,000 cubic meters of surface water a day to Metro Cebu.

Montejo said he also pushed to establish fire lines which is a 10-meter wide vegetation-free strips that is usually established at the borders of the plantation and at given intervals inside the plantation, to contain the fire in case it breaks out.

“We spent a sizable amount to maintain and grow these plantations and it would be a sad situation when our reforestation initiatives will turn into ashes because of forest fires,” he said. (PNA) LAP/EB/SSC