Tree planting now required before tapping water from watersheds

MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to protect the country's watersheds, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will now require those drawing water from watersheds to plant trees first.

Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. said this condition aims to assure the long-term survival and responsible use of the country's watersheds.

"The availability and quality of our water supply depends on our watersheds. Therefore, we should see to it that (watersheds) are protected and preserved, which can be effectively done through the planting of trees in these areas," Atienza, who also chairs the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), said in an article on the DENR website (www.denr.gov.ph).

He said tree planting will make people who apply for permits to extract surface and groundwater from watersheds to become more responsible.

A technical working group will be created to formulate the guidelines to implement the new requirement, in coordination with the DENR's Forest Management Bureau.

Issues the technical working group will look into are the appropriate number of trees to be planted corresponding to the amount of water granted, the type of forest species to be planted and the location of the tree planting activities.

Applicants for water permits range from industrial companies to individual farmers or tradesmen.

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The painting is by Nancy Merkle

Chilean glacier will vanish in 50 years: study

SANTIAGO (AFP) – Chile's official water authority warned Saturday that the Echaurren glacier near Santiago, which supplies the capital with 70 percent of its water needs, could disappear in the next half century.

In a new report on Chile's glaciers the main water company -- Direccion General de Aguas de Chile (DGA) -- said the ice fields of Echaurren are receding up to 12 meters (39.37 feet) per year.

"These glaciers are vanishing," said Antonio Vergara of the DGA, who has worked on glacier research on the fields for 35 years.

At the current rate of decline, Echaurren and other smaller glaciers near Santiago could disappear over the next 50 years.

The river Maipo and its smaller tributaries, key water sources for Santiago, its environs and agriculture in region, all flow from Echaurren.

The water shortage would force Chileans to seek new sources of water and would cause "large-scale population displacement in central Chile," said Vergara.

Located 50 kilometers (21 miles) east of Santiago, on the western slopes of the Andes mountain range, the Echaurren glacier is one of the 10 most studied ice fields in the world, and is considered a "landmark in the global studies of climate change," said DGA director Rodrigo Weisner.

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The painting is by Nancy Merkle

Indianapolis Trees Provide $5.7 Million In Benefits To Local Area

Shame for those who measure the value of trees on its timber. Read this

U.S. Forest Service scientists with the Center for Urban Forest Research have completed a study that found planting and nurturing Indianapolis street trees brought a 500 percent return in benefits from storm water reduction, energy conservation, cleaner air and increased property values.

The researchers evaluated more than 117,000 trees the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Forestry Section manages and found every $1 spent brought a $6.09 return.

"Indianapolis' urban forest is uniquely diverse, with only one of over 170 species representing slightly more than 10 percent of the total tree population," said Greg McPherson, Center for Urban Forest Research director and one of the study's authors. "This diversity is important because it puts the forest at less risk of catastrophic losses from disease or pests."

Scientists involved in the study found Indianapolis trees annually intercept 318.9 million gallons of rainfall, which they estimate to be worth $1.98 million or $17 per tree per year.

The trees also annually cut electricity use by more than 6,447 megawatt hours, worth $432,000. They reduce natural gas use by more than 150,000 therms, bringing annual benefits worth $165,000 or $5 per tree.

Each tree annually removes 1.5 pounds of air pollutants, valued at $2 per tree or $212,000, according to the scientists. They also estimated the trees increased property values and provided less tangible benefits worth $2.9 million or on average $24 per tree.

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