by Juliet B. Saley

Bontoc, Mt. Province (28 November) -- The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) issued Tree Planting Certificates to seven individual tree planters from barangay Bila in Bauko municipality for planting a number of trees and committing to continue planting more trees and protecting the environment.

The seven who were awarded during the launching of the 2010 Lang-ay last month were Luis Homrebueno, Jr., Antonio Apil, Lyndon Colbongan, Rodrigo Payacda, Valentine Cameyeng, Calixto Gamlosen, and Purita Cominga.

As stated in the certificate, each awardee commits to continue planting more trees and join with his neighboring awardees to protect the trees they have planted and other existing vegetation including their surroundings from forest fires and poachers as well as enhance the ecological balanced of their environment.

The Tree Planting Certificate was formulated by the Provincial Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources (PAENRO) Board as an incentive to all tree planters and rightful owners of the land planted under the 1 Million Tree Planting Program of the province. This was institutionalized through Provincial Ordinance No. 74 passed by Mt. Province Sangguniang Panlalawigan on July 31, 2006.

Benefits of the Tree Planting Certificate include access in acquiring permit to cut or harvest timber as required by law, free forest charges per memorandum of agreement signed by all sectors of local government units, government agencies and non-government on September 23, 2004, provided the trees to be cut were planted in 2004 and onwards under the 1 Million Tree Planting Program of the province; and income from forest products.

To avail of the Tree Planting Certificate, tree planters should submit Tree Registration Certificate including all attachment like registration of trees planted from 2004 and onwards, land tenure documents or any proof that they own the plantation, Sustainable Traditional and Indigenous Forest Resources Management System and Practices, Free and Prior Informed Consent, and Evaluation of Trees Planted.

It can be recalled that the province under its 1 Million Tree Planting program achieved its target of planting one million trees in three years in just one and a half years. As of September 2008, more than two million forest and fruit tree seedlings have already been planted in various areas in the province.