Aboitiz targets to plant 3M trees by year 2015

The Aboitiz Group has been supporting the universal campaign to plant at least one billion trees every year.

Through its Apark (Aboitiz Passion for Reforest and Agroforest to Keep) initiative, the Aboitiz Group companies hold simultaneous tree planting activity yearly to achieve its target of 3 million trees by year 2015.

The companies contribute financial and human resources to nurture Apark sites all over the country.

Under the Apark program, the trees planted are entered as a pledge to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) “Plant for the planet: Billion trees campaign,” an undertaking that seeks to plant one billion trees annually.

Private and public entities are also encouraged to make a tree pledge.

As of December 2011, UNEP recorded 12.6 billion trees planted in 193 countries, with 835,000 trees from Apark, which was launched in 2011.

“We plant indigenous trees that support and complement local flora and fauna and support a healthier ecosystem. Remember that every seedling we plant is a gift to our planet and to our future generations.  We create a better world with every tree that we plant,” said Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. president and chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz.

The Aboitiz Group began its simultaneous tree planting in 2009, although sporadic tree planting activities were conducted in previous years, especially in areas where Aboitiz companies operate.

A survival rate of 90 to 95 percent was noted for the trees planted, which include 100 species of fruit-bearing trees and indigenous trees.  They are grown in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.