Join IP Children & Elders Replant 1000 Trees

In the last few months, the Philippines has been battered with relentless typhoons and torrential rainfall brougth about by southern rains locall termed as "habagat".  Without accompanying strong winds, incessant rain downpours  wrecked much havoc than the storms combined. Much as lowland downtown Manila is wallowing in floods from July to late September, the upland areas have roads blocked due to erosion or falling debris or mountain roads rendered unpassable. Worst, river swelling  have destroyed homes, properties and farm fields.

Denuded forest covers in areas covered by this project  luckily survived upstream wash out and served as critical barrier that somehow helped mitigate total wreck from erosion and flooding.  The communities where reforestation work has been on going have halted in the last 3 months because of the downpour.  They have instead concentrated work in clearing roads, tended to their fields first.  Some communities where watershed protection and microhydro upgrading or buidling new ones refocused also in redugging power canals, riprapping river banks washed out by erosion and plants. 

The rains have helped much in providing a better condition for the new planted tree seedlings to thrive.  Before the onset of the heavy rains  sometime in July, communitymembers catch up planting the tree seedlings especially after they have done first rice crop planting.  June to July is the start of the rainy season in the Philipines and the first cropping months for rice and corn.  Knowing it is also the onset fo the typhoon months the communities capitalized the season to plant trees hoping the rains can take care of the water needs of the young tree seedslings to reduce mortality.

There is news that after the heavy rains the Philppines will be expecting El Nino- a severe long drought.  Not only will this affect food production but also serious drying up of vegetation.  In our areas where this community tree planting is on-going , last year's forest fires almost reached areas where these efforts are being undertaken. There is a possibility that these may affect watershed areas either getting severely dried up and susceptible to possible forest fires.    

As part of preparation, we are going to undertake orientation seminars to these communities and reaching to LGUs for their intervention programs  with the impending drought period to minimize damage and destruction.

Hence these past months communities are focused on rehabilitating the damage done by the heavy rains, and planting activities were halted for a time.  We will gear now towards preparing for the opposite, the predicted El Nino which is equally destructive like heavy downpours.  We hope you can be with us again in this endeavor.  Meantime thank you so much for your continued support.