Every month is environment month

June 16, 2019 Community Billboard

June is Environment Month – a month full of environmental awareness campaigns and activities going on aiming to improve the quality of the environment we live in and to mitigate the increasing impact of global warming.
One of these is tree planting. Planting trees is one of the simplest ways to best save the environment from the threat of global warming.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), trees are useful in many ways. It absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen; provides shade to protect us from the heat of the sun; absorbs excess water to prevent soil erosion, to name a few.
A man from Baguio City, Gaston Timango who planted more or less 70 Benguet Pine Trees when he was 16 is encouraging people especially the youth to plant trees for the future.
“Magtanim tayo, wag tayo magputol ng kahoy, ito ang rason kung bakit buhay tayo,” Timango said.
Timango also said that the trees he planted 34 years ago are the ones that presently shield his house from the heat of the sun, bring fresh air around his home and protect it from erosion.
He said that in two years from 1986 to 1988, he was able to plant about 70 Benguet Pine Trees. He also said he likes gardening and when he realized how beautiful trees are, he was encouraged to plant.
He said tree-planting is challenging yet a fulfilling activity, recalling how he got to the other mountain carefully digging around each small pine tree scattered, putting them in a wheelbarrow, and traveling back to transfer it to a hole he dug for them.
He said his equipment can only carry at least 8 small trees so he has to go back a lot of times. He also said he waters them twice a day for the first three months.
He said he never felt happier seeing something he planted long ago to grow 10- 15 times taller than him. “Hinuhukay ko yung mga maliliit na kahoy sa kabilang bundok tapos tinatanim ko, dinidiligan ko ng umaga at hapon hanggang mga 3 months, syempre ngayon natutuwa ako, hindi ko inexpect na yung mga tinanim ko noon na gumagalaw-galaw pa yung ugat nya, ngayon hindi ko na kayang akyatin”, Timango said.
He advised people who want to plant trees to patiently water them and always consider the distance between trees as they tend to grow slowly or die when planted too close to the next tree or overcrowded.
Timango believes that every month is environment month. He said people can plant any time they wish to but rainy season is the best time to do so.
“Dapat wag masyado magkakalapit kasi kapag sobrang lapit, yung iba maliliit kaya I suggest mga 6 or more meters away at diligan hanggang makita mo na kaya na niya mabuhay kahit hindi na masyado diligan,” he said.
Timango also said planting trees is one of the simplest yet most fulfilling hobbies you can have. He believes that it is every individual’s duty to take care of his environment as a way of showing love to humanity.
As Thomas Fuller once said, “He that plants trees loves others besides himself.”
 
Samantha Carrera, UC Intern/ABN