Editorial: Save the trees

Editorial: Save the trees

ALONG the stretch of Gen. Douglas MacArthur there are barely any trees to provide shade for pedestrians. In fact, there are barely any trees at all along most streets in Davao City, especially within the downtown area.

On Friday, November 27, the Save Heritage Trees movement posted on its Facebook page that eight trees, mostly Narra Trees, along the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) Grade School in Matina will be cut down to "give way for a laybay or road widening." For now, no other details are given on the cutting of trees outside the AdDU Grade School. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has not responded to our queries while AdDU, which has been among the institutions at the forefront of environmental conservation in the city, has not issued an official statement yet.

This is not the first time large trees in the city have been cut down to pave way for development. Around October 2019, decennia-old trees in Clifford Park, the center island park between the Davao Central Post Office and the Marco Polo Hotel, were cut down as part of a park improvement project.

While it is easy for some to say that we need to make sacrifices to pave way for development, the after-effects of cutting trees, even if it is just a small strip along the length of the highway, could cause more problems in the future.

The loss of urban trees could intensify the "heat-island" effect, which is when urbanized areas experience higher temperatures compared to areas outside it.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency this happens when "structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies. Urban areas, where these structures are highly concentrated and greenery is limited, become ‘islands’ of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas."

Worse, we are also losing important and effective air filters. In an article by the United Nations Environmental Programme, it said "according to the study Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States, particulate matter, which is particularly damaging to lungs, is retained on tree surfaces, while leaves act as filters, absorbing polluting gases."

There is a need for the city government of Davao and the national government agencies to balance development and sustaining the environment. As we can see in downtown Davao City, urban trees are being cut one by one. Instead of integrating and developing with nature, our urban developers opt to cut the large trees down. Later on, they would plant bushes and ornamental plants instead.

It is easy for some to say that we need to make sacrifices to improve the city. However, our treatment of the environment as a sacrificial lamb to pave way for development is already creating more problems than solutions. Have we not learned from the flooding in the low lying areas of the city or along the river banks? The issue in flooding is not simply the lack of proper drainage. We can trace it to the lack of trees in upland areas. Trees have been cut down to pave way for food production, infrastructure, and industrial use.

We do not need to sacrifice our environment to progress and develop. It would benefit us more in the long run if we start integrating the sustainability of the environment into our urban development strategies or programs.

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