Dr. Roger Guzman with DENR foresters Filemon Embalzado Jr. inspect the stump of the seventh acacia tree that was cut by DPWH to pave way on the widening road project in Naga City. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
They can still recover.
Three of the remaining century-old Acacia trees along the national road in Naga City show signs of rotting but their condition is not bad enough to have them cut down.
This was the initial assessment of Dr. Roger Guzman, a veteran forester who inspected the trees in Naga yesterday, part of a three-day review of over 80 trees targeted for cutting along the southern highway of Naga, San Fernando and Carcar.
“Wala pa tayong naire-recommend na iputol sa lahat ng nakita ko. Yung mag rot, nagre-recover naman yan. Dapat talaga i-assess ang balance ng environmental value of the tree vis-a-vis its obstruction to power lines or the road,” said Guzman.
(We have not recommended cutting any of the trees I’ve seen. Those with rot can still recover. We need a balanced assessment of the environmental value of the tree vis a vis its obstruction or power lines or the road.)
He will wind up his “third party” assessment on Friday.
The retired tree pathology professor of UP Los Baños was accompanied by Filemon Embalzado Jr. of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7.
Embalzado led the agency’s July inventory of standing trees and earlier recommended immediate cutting of 7 trees in Naga, 77 in San Fernando and at least four in Carcar city because they were “defective and diseased”, and at risk of falling.
Only three century-old Acacias remain standing in Naga City, where two mountaineers staged a protest climb.
Four were cut down last week before DENR Secretary Ramon Paje suspended all tree cutting along roadsides nationwide, to give way for more public consultation and coordination with the DPWH, which was asked to explore other “options” to tree cutting.
Yesterday, at every tree they inspected in Naga City, Embalzado explained their earlier findings which led the DENR 7 to recommend cutting.
White ribbons tied around the trees last Sunday by eco-advocates who joined a solidarity “run” with Fr. Robert Reyes were still intact during yesterday’s visit.
Guzman said he had no problem with the procedure done by the DENR in assessing the trees’ health, but may reach a different conclusion.
“They followed the correct procedure of determining the state of health of the individual trees. Wala na akong masabi dun. But in terms of deciding as to whether the trees should be cut, there are still lots of considerations to look into,” he said.
Aside from the risk of trees falling down on motorists and other road users, he said they should also consider the trees’ environmental value for cooling, shade, pollution filters, oxygen producers and as habitats for birds, insects and other small organisms.
Guzman met with DENR representatives and lawyer Rose Liza Osorio of the Philippine Earth Justice Center for a preliminary meeting at the West Gorordo Hotel.
The DENR foresters’ inventory of “tree health” listed the individual tree’s species and measurements.They checked for defects which include branch or trunk decay, parasitic plants, insect pests, and overlapping branches. For rehabilition, they stated “sanitation cutting”. But other options exist such as pruning and tree surgery.
Guzman said cutting should be the last resort.
“The DENR’s mandate should be to preserve trees as much as possible. We should look into remedies to save them without cutting. Cutting should be a last resort. Dapat ito ang umiiral na prinsipyo natin sa gobyerno sa DENR,” he told Embalzado.
In response, Embalzado said the agency was being proactive, especially after two large Acacias
suddenly collapsed on the road in July in San Fernando and Perrelos, Carcar.
Guzman also inspected the stumps of the trees which were already cut down last week. But he reserved his assessment until he sees photos of the trees before it was cut down.
“I didn’t see a center rot in one of the trees. But I would like to wait and see the photos, maybe the basis for their cutting was because the tree has leaned too much to the road. I won’t know unless I see the photo of the tree before it was cut,” Guzman said.
Trees leaning toward the road can be preserved, he said. Pruning can be done and warning signs can be placed so motorists can be forewarned about the barrier ahead.
LOW PROBABILITY
Guzman said trees should die naturally and not intentionally cut down.
But how do you you assure that a tree won’t fall and harm people?
The tree doctor, who is executive director of the Philippine Federation for Enviromental Concern (PFEC), said such accidents were rare.
“Even if you see that a tree is healthy, it may still happen. It depends, but it’s a very low probability to happen. It just happens sometime, but it doesn’t mean that that will be true to all trees,” he explained.
Several factors may have contributed to the falling down of the century-old trees in San Fernando and Carcar City last month.
He said overmature trees, or those which developed hollow centers, combined with the condition where some of its roots were cut may weaken a tree and cause it to fall.
This can happen when some trees are affected by road projects. The roots of one of the three remaining trees in Naga City were cut.The concrete pavement directly hit the base of the tree.
Guzman said the at least one foot distance must be kept from the concrete to allow the roots to breathe.The team will go to San Fernando town today to continue the assesment.
When a hollow forms in the tree’s center or “center rot”, this is a natural process, he said but the tree still remains stable.
“All species of trees have a rotational period. After that, they become overmature and develop a center rot. That happens to most trees. It’s natural but it doesn’t affect the strength of the tree or its environmental function. The tree is still alive,” he said.
He said the center of the trunk is first to decay. The inner portion turns into dead cells while the active and outer layer where the cambium is found continues to grow, which is why the tree still grows bigger.
By Friday, they will be meet at the Capitol where Guzman will brief officials on his observations and recommendations.
Guzman was among the experts who reassessed close to 2,000 roadside trees affected by a road widening project in Pangasinan province. It took three months.
It was found out that the trees were not diseased enough to be cut down and they were able to convince the Pangasinan council to order a stop to the tree cutting. /With a report by Carine Asutilla.
Read all about the Naga Trees issues here!