Fires, logging, population, threaten Benguet forests

BUGUIAS, Benguet – Pine forests in northern Benguet particularly the towns of Atok, Bakun, Buguias, Kapangan, Kibungan, Mankayan and Tublay are threatened by growing population, increasing economic activities,  forest fires,  illegal logging and  agricultural expansion.

The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office here bared this saying it is adopting sustainable forest ecosystem management measures to address these problems and deforestation in this vegetable farming town and preserve pine forests in Benguet.

Buguias CENR officer Rabindranath Quilala said such programs were needed to address environmental deterioration and increase pine growth.

Quilala said they plan to revive pine oleoresin tapping program as alternative forest-based industry for indigenous peoples to prevent them from engaging in vegetable farming.

The Chinese tapping technology approved and endorsed by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) will be adopted.

The tappers will first be trained extensively to prevent abuses committed in the past.

The office shall also intensify fuel reduction through pine needle collection for forest bioenergy power generation.

The collected pine needles shall serve as fuel wood for forest bioenergy generating plants that will produce electricity for the community.

This will also help reduce the acidity of the soil thereby making it more viable for coffee, cacao and bamboo plantations.