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BCDA moves fast in greening the SCTEX
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Posted: August 07, 2009 | Category: SCTEX
The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) will have more trees as some 9,000 native tree seedlings and wildlings were recently planted along the 94-kilometer tollway by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) greening team.
“We really exert effort in planting as many trees as we can as part of our commitment to the environment and to showcase the wide variety of Philippine native trees,” said Robert C. Gervacio, program manager for operational support services and spokesman.
Motorists will notice the greening of the whole stretch when the trees reach their desired height, he added.
Narra, bitaog, cupang, balacat, banaba, ilang-ilang and molave were among the initial species included in the 9,000 variety of trees planted.
Gervacio stressed the greening team did their job well despite the difficulty in sourcing seedlings. The group even resorted to seedling and wildling gathering, meaning searching for seeds and young sprouts in the forests of Morong and Orani, Bataan. These wildlings and seedlings were then nurtured in the nursery prior to planting along the SCTEX alignment and toll plazas.
Among the wildlings taken from the forest and still in the nursery include Kamagong, Tangile, Mulawin, Boton, Tibig, Bani and Tui while the seedlings species collected and currently being propagated are Alupag, Bignay, Palawan Cherry, Puso Puso, Katmon, Antipolo and Cupang.
On the other hand, species which are readily available and now in the nursery for future planting include narra, molave, dao, bagras, bitaog, ilang-ilang, banaba and balacat.
As this time of the year is still planting season, 1,000 more endemic and indigenous trees are scheduled for planting. There are also plans to explore other forests in Bataan and Zambales for seedling and wildling gathering.
The greening SCTEX program took off in July last year, one day prior the commercial opening of the state-owned tollway. Under the program, all trees for planting must be of native species to “Filipinize” the tollroad and enhance the scenery.
Greening SCTEX will not only add to the tollway’s aesthetic value but more significantly help in minimizing the key greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide—a pollutant, emitted by vehicles on the road
BCDA will plant 50,000 trees in five years along the expressway and create a “heritage tree museum” that will serve as model for future Philippine infrastructure projects.
“Once these trees are fully grown in the next five to ten years, the 94-km SCTEX economic growth corridor will also be a lush green environmental corridor,” Gervacio noted.
