Year of Forests

MANILA, Philippines—Entrepreneur Wilson Ang bought a one-hectare lot in Sucat, Parañaque, in 1974 to be the headquarters of Bio Research, one of the country’s more popular pet stores.

The previous owner, Benito Marquez, had only one request when he sold it: that the old sampaloc tree (Tamarindus indica) standing on that parcel of land not be harmed.

“Mr. Marquez said that the tree was a legacy of his forebears and that it even witnessed two world wars,” Ang’s daughter, Charlene Claire, told the Inquirer.

Indeed, the sampaloc tree had seen “all changes Parañaque had gone through,” said the 27-year-old Charlene, who now works as Bio Research assistant general manager.

200 years old

The tree is estimated to be around 200 years old, according to Ang.

Not only its age but also its size and magnificence qualified the sampaloc tree to be one of the five officially marked heritage trees by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Metro Manila since the Heritage Tree conservation program was launched by the agency in 2009.

The four others are a “kamagong” tree (Diospyros philippinensis) at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and a “lumbang” tree (Aleurites moluccana) at the visitors’ center of the Plants and Animals Welfare Bureau, both located on North Avenue; a rain tree or acacia (Samanea saman) at St. Theresa’s College on Banawe Street and a “duhat” tree (Syzygium cumini) at Kaligayahan Elementary School in Novaliches—all in Quezon City. (See photos.)

Around 60 more trees have been located in Quezon City and Manila as heritage trees but they have yet to be officially declared as such by the DENR pending further evaluation that would ensure they meet the criteria.

Trunk size

Among these is having trunks measuring more than 100 centimeters and one-half meter above the ground.

It also has to be “healthy, native or endemic, exotic, rare, threatened and endangered trees,” said the DENR-NCR memorandum circular that formalized the Heritage Tree program.

The DENR-NCR’s Protected Areas, Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Service came up with the program with the goal of preserving and protecting these urban gems, and conserving biodiversity amid the rapid development of the country’s capital.

Moreover, it encourages the participation of the community in preserving these trees.

Just like Bio Research’s sampaloc tree, most of the heritage trees are located in private properties and government and private institutions, which lessens the chances of these trees being harmed.

With trees being cut down for the rapid development of Metro Manila, the DENR-NCR said that “the owners of the property therefore are the ones who take care of the tree for them to survive.”

Pruning, surgery

The DENR-NCR, for its part, will extend technical assistance to the owner of the heritage tree in its maintenance such as pruning and tree surgery.

Citing studies, the DENR-NCR said that there should be one tree for every four people in Metro Manila.

With a population of 12 million, the ideal number of trees in the capital should number three million.

Endangered yet taken for granted, trees are a source of food, medicine and construction materials. They also provide shade and wind and noise breaks, and ecological functions such as nitrogen fixation and carbon sequestration.

And would a landscape or garden be complete without trees?

The Philippines has 3,800 tree species, the most famous of which is narra (Pterocarpus indicus), the national tree and one of the world’s hardest woods, according to the DENR-NCR.

The Heritage Tree program is being implemented only in Metro Manila, for now.

But with “favorable results” from the pioneer program, the agency expressed hope that other regions would adopt or replicate the program.

Tree house

Back in Sucat, Parañaque, the Angs recently built a two-story tree house around the sampaloc tree, designing it in such a way that no construction material would be directly attached to it.

It allows the children who visit Bio Research on their field trip to have a better appreciation of the heritage tree as they can go near and around it.

Even in its very old age, the sampaloc tree continues to grow albeit not as robust as before, said Charlene.

“Once in a while, we see green leaves sprouting from the branches,” she said.

It’s enough to bring hope that there are some years still left for this heritage tree.