100-yr-old trees to be road project casualties

IMAGINE this road in Carcar City to be wider, but without these trees. TONEE DESPOJO/CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY—The road-widening project from Naga City to Carcar City will soon proceed after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has given a permit to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cut down 42 trees, including eight that are at least 100 years old.

The permit also allows the DPWH to earth-ball at least 96 trees. Sixteen acacia trees would be spared.

Isabelo Montejo, regional DENR chief, said the DENR issued a special tree-cutting permit to the DPWH.

The permit signed by Montejo said 42 trees, including eight that are at least a century old, would be removed or cut. The permit said some of the trees were in an advanced state of decay and posed danger.

Aside from the environmental compliance certificate, the regional DPWH office was also required to get clearance for the project from the village chiefs of Tinaan, Inuboran and Langtad in Naga City, according to Montejo.

Montejo said the regional DPWH office was also required to plant 13,800 trees in place of those that would be cut for the road-widening project.

The DPWH is also required to transplant the trees that would be earth-balled and protect these for at least three years. Each earth-balled tree that would not survive had to be replaced by at least 100 trees, Montejo said.

He said he would form a team composed of representatives from the DENR, Naga City local government and other stakeholders to monitor and supervise the cutting and earth-balling of the trees.