Tree lines rising along Quezon highway

LUCENA CITY—Seven years from now, motorists may be treated to a panorama of hardwood and fruit-bearing trees while traveling along the Maharlika Highway in Quezon province.

“With rows of narra, acacia and fruit-bearing trees now planted on both sides of the Maharlika Highway, traveling will soon be a breeze and relaxing,” Manny Calayag, community affairs officer of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro), said last week.

That stretch of the highway is about 150 kilometers from the Quezon-Laguna boundary in Tiaong town to Calauag town in the Quezon-Bicol boundary.

Launched in November 2010, the provincial government’s tree-planting program, dubbed “Plant and Grow One Million Trees Securing Quezon’s Future,” has already surpassed its target. Calayag said 1,300,000 trees had already been planted throughout the province

Project partners are taking care of ensuring the growth of the trees.

To prevent the destruction of trees as a result of road-widening activities, Calayag said he would again meet with officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways. He cited how newly planted seedlings along the Tiaong bypass road were destroyed because of the road project.

On March 8, the Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (Kalipi)-Quezon chapter led by Anna Villaraza-Suarez, wife of Gov. David Suarez, marked International Women’s Day with a provincewide tree-planting activity. Some 300 seedlings were given by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office to all towns, except those in far-flung areas which secured their own seedlings.

Women employees of the provincial government went to a sloping area of Mt. Banahaw in Dolores town to plant 1,700 kalamansi seedlings in four villages.

Kalipi members readily took part as the trees could also be a source of livelihood for the local womenfolk. Kalipi is a national federation of women’s associations formed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in partnership with local government units.