UPLB tree expert says condemned trees healthy

DR. ROGER Guzman ( right), a University of the Philippines Los Baños professor and tree expert, inspects one of several trees that had been condemned to death by Department of Environment and Natural Resources foresters to give way to a road-widening project funded by pork barrel. TONEE DESPOJO/CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY—There is no need to cut the remaining 84 acacia trees along the national highway in Naga and Carcar cities and San Fernando town, southern Cebu province, for a road-widening project.

This was the initial assessment made by Dr. Roger Guzman, a forester and University of the Philippines Los Baños professor, following an inspection of the trees on Wednesday and Thursday.

Guzman arrived in Cebu on Wednesday after he was asked by Philippine Earth Justice Center for a second opinion on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Central Visayas foresters’ diagnosis that the trees were “diseased and rotting” and should be cut.

Guzman told the Inquirer that the trees should not be cut because they were still healthy. A sign of a tree’s health is that it continues to grow leaves.

For trees with weak base trunks, he recommended that the base trunks be cemented to prevent the trees from falling.

For trees with hollow trunks, Guzman said the hollow portion could be filled with cement.

He said filling the trunks with cement would not affect the growth or health of the trees because trees find ways to get nutrients pass through cement.

Guzman, however, said local governments should regularly and properly prune the trees to prevent these from bending due to the weight of their branches.

Eddie Llamedo, regional DENR spokesperson, declined to comment on Guzman’s initial assessment, saying DENR officials would wait for the presentation of Guzman’s full report at 3 p.m. on Friday.

He added that DENR officials are to meet to discuss the initial assessment.

Nine foresters from the DENR regional office accompanied Guzman during his inspection of 77 trees in San Fernando, three trees in Naga and four trees in Carcar. Many of the trees are century-old.

In an earlier interview, Laurentino Bautista,  DENR regional forester, said they welcomed the presence of Guzman and were open to learn more about tree evaluation.

Eighty-eight trees were diagnosed by DENR regional foresters as diseased and rotting and posed hazard to motorists, as they could fall anytime.

Four century-old trees in Naga were cut down on Aug. 5 by workers from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The operation was supposed to resume at 9 p.m. on Aug. 7 but was stopped when two environmentalists climbed on separate trees in Naga.

The next day, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje ordered the regional DENR office to recall the special cutting permit.

Guzman said cutting down trees should not always be the only option. He added this was not the first time that his help was tapped.

He cited a case in Pangasinan province where he saved several century-old trees that were given the death sentence by the DENR because these were supposedly rotting.

Guzman said he worked on the trees for three months and was able to nurture them back to health.

Guzman also said  it was possible that foresters of the DENR were wrong in their assessment.

“Their judgment may not be that objective, considering that all they do is follow the orders of their respective offices,” he said.