By Perla Lena/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — Residents of this highly urbanized city will be more knowledgeable on the type of trees in their locality with the aid of a computerized tool being used by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
Engr. Noel Hechanova, CENRO head, said in an interview on Friday that they were trained by experts from Puerto Princesa, Palawan on how to use the I-Tree Tool application during their visit here on June 10-11.
He said data such as height, diameter, crown, and species will just be encoded in the application, to be interpreted by the US Forest Service (USFS).
The CENRO took Plaza Libertad as the pilot site for the assessment where 129 trees were evaluated.
“They will evaluate all the information that we encoded and once the result is forwarded to us, we would know its carbons sequestration; how much carbon dioxide is captured and how much oxygen is released,” he said.
Hechanova said that knowing the trees helps promote a sense of stewardship because of public awareness.
“This is also part of our program here at the city ENRO on biodiversity. It is part of our initiative to conserve trees,” he added.
Soon the assessment of trees will be extended to other plazas and green areas in the city.
Hechanova cited that the presence of trees is part of an ecology. Seeing them gives one a sense of relaxation, apart from providing oxygen and shade.
With this, he appealed for the public to help in taking care of trees. He said that some city ordinances may apply to individuals caught cutting trees or committing vandalism.
For the latest updates about this story, visit the Philippine News Agency website
