DAVAO City will soon integrate urban canopy in its road islands and other areas after the city council passed on third and final reading the Treeline Ordinance.
The 19th City Council passed the ordinance integrating urban canopy in the city's traffic islands on highway roads and along pavements, parks, playgrounds, and areas of public right-of-way on March 2, which was proposed by Councilor Edgar Ibuyan Jr., committee chairperson on public works and highways.
Ibuyan said the ordinance, considered as the city's "landmark ordinance," encourages both government agencies and private contractors to integrate urban canopy in an aim to add more trees in the city's main road to add more shade to pedestrians and motorists.
Urban canopy, according to the US Center for Watershed Protection website, is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above.
"Mainly, we are encouraging everyone, especially the government agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and City Engineer's Office (CEO), na when times nga naa projects sa kalsada (that there will be road projects), we must integrate trees to lessen the heat index o ginabati nga init samtang gasubay sa atong kadalanan (or the heat we feel while traversing our roads)," the councilor said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Based on studies, he said the world's heat index has increased in recent years.
In order to minimize the heat index the people feel, the councilor said mounting treelines in the roads will be a big help.
He cited the treelines along Ecoland Drive in front of John Paull II College as an ideal theme of his proposed ordinance.
The councilor said pedestrians will also benefit from the project as it will provide shade along the road and entice the public to walk.
Ibuyan said the implementing agency of the ordinance will be the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro).
He added that they will decide on what trees to be planted in these areas.
"We are encouraging the [Cenro] nga at least katong mga punuan didto nga padak-an dako (that they plant bigger trees), at least to absorb the heat gikan sa kalsada (coming from the roads), and as we traverse those roads, dili kaayo init atong mabati sa ani nga lugara (we won’t feel extreme heat in these areas)," he said.
He added the ordinance also targets to plant more trees in parks and playgrounds and highways.
Ibuyan also specifically included the Department of Public Works and Highways in the implementation of the ordinance to encourage them to include in their future infrastructure projects budget for the integration of trees along highways.