QUEZON, Nueva Vizcaya—Some 1.76 million assorted seedlings have been planted by mining firm FCF Minerals Corp. in various areas in the province in support of the National Greening Program.
Peter Storey, FCF Minerals general manager, said the figure was recorded by their Mine Environment Protection and Enhancement Office as of July last year and was carried out in environmental plans and programs since 2007.
The programs, Storey said, include reforestation and integrated agroforestry programs focused on the rehabilitation of degraded areas within and outside the firm’s Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement area, off-set deforestation and land degradation caused by mining operation.
Storey added the programs were also aimed at establishing forest protection habitat for wild life and restore the original state of flora and fauna around the Runruno gold mine.
One of FCF’s initiatives is the Mining Forest Program, which operates and manages their central nursery, produced the 1.766 million assorted seedlings, and established 196.65 hectares of reforestation areas in the province.
“Seedlings produced are donated and planted within and outside the host community of barangay Runruno in Quezon town,” Storey added.
In Runruno alone, more than 162,000 various seedlings have been planted with 92.293 percent survival rate, the GM noted.
Storey also reported that as of July last year, a 126-percent compliance to the Tree Cutting Permit Terms of Reference was achieved. The TCPTR requires the replacement of 100 seedlings for every tree cut.
He said a bigger volume of the seedlings produced were also donated to various organizations, such as the Magapuy Farmers Association with 66,755 seedlings, schools and local government units.
In April 2017, FCF also established 4,600 square meters of a model agro-forestry farm planted with various cash crops such as ginger and corn.
Ducks and native chicken are also managed in the model farm, which will be reinforced with goats and other livestock products.
The MEPEO’s central nursery now also houses a vermicomposting facility, herbal garden and wild life rescue cage.
To increase the quantity and quality of seedlings being produced, clonal propagation is now implemented using reforestation and local tree species.
Researches on phytoremediation, survival and growth performance of different species used in the firm’s mined out areas, inspection chart and mapping of the firm’s reforestation and rehabilitation areas are being done in collaboration with the Nueva Vizcaya State University in Bayombong campus.