MANILA, Philippines — Eastern Visayas (Region 8) was selected as pilot site for the 2012 National Greening Program (NGP), to highlight the region’s record of exceeding its targeted number of hectares with tree seedlings planted since the program was launched on May, 2011. Eastern Visayas, consisting of six provinces – Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar and Southern Leyte – exceeded its 2011 NGP target. It produced 4,052,500 seedlings and planted 8,105 hectares with indigenous tree species and fruit-bearing trees. Eastern Visayas has been given a higher target of 12,365 hectares to be planted with trees this year.

The Bicol Region (Region 5) also surpassed its 2011 target by 12 percent with 6,303 hectares of open and denuded forestland planted with close to 4 million tree seedlings. When the NGP was launched in Bicol in May last year, stakeholders in the region planted 3.9 million tree seedlings in 6,303 hectares of open and denuded forestland. Camarines Sur led with 2,102,578 tree seedlings planted in 3,005 hectares.

The Department of National Defense (DND) allocated 12,000 hectares for the establishment of tree nursery sites in military reservations nationwide, including Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Kibaritan Military Reservation in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur, Camp Peralta in Capiz, and Villaviciosa Military Reservation in Abra. In coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Agriculture (DA), the DND is also propagating bamboo plantations.

The NGP targets the planting of 1.5 billion tree seedlings in 1.5 million hectares nationwide from 2011 to 2016. Priority areas include mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domain, civil and military areas, and urban areas under the LGU greening plan. For 2012, the target is 200,000 hectares. The goal is a survival rate of 80 percent by tapping sound upland practices and confining identified planting sites to areas where there are communities that can maintain and ensure growth of the seedlings into mature trees.

The overall objectives of the National Greening Program are poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, and environment mitigation.