This is why hundreds of tree-planting activities were conducted today all over the country by local government units and private organizations. According to the DENR, around 4,000,000 trees in total were planted in today's activities.
Let's hope that these tree-planting activities focused on planting native trees, not invasive or introduced species of trees. During interactions with foresters, I've learned that many tree-planting activities in the country are counter-productive because these involve planting trees that upset a local region's biodiversity instead of enriching it.
This point was driven home when I attended a talk by Ethan Hernandez (forester, content creator) last month in Baguio City. Hernandez pointed out the problem with these tree-planting activities that involve introduced species while highlighting the importance of planting native species of trees.
The point is we should plant more native trees. Like this wild fig tree laden with fruits that we saw during a hike in between Pasdong and Naguey in Atok, Benguet. The Ibaloys call this tree "tebbel" or "tebfel". The Kankana-eys call it "labay" or "ballay".
Here's a fun fact: the town of Itogon declared this tree as their "municipal tree".
