THE 36-member Quezon City Council is asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to closely monitor the removal and transfer of trees to be displaced due to the construction of the Metro Rail Transit line 7.
The Council passed City Resolution No. 7022 to acknowledge the importance of the MRT line 7 project without sacrificing the grown trees in the areas of construction.
The measure authored by District 2 Councilor Ramon Medalla supported the concern of Mayor Herbert Bautista to protect the environment.
“The trees must be relocated, and that available and suitable site must be properly identified by the DENR in coordination with (the city’s) s Parks Development and Administration Department to ensure the growth and survival of trees at the expense of the contractors,” the resolution read.
Of the 1,353 trees to be removed, 820 will be cut down, while 533 shall be earth-balled. At least 10 trees are for pruning and will be maintained by the contractor for a period of at least three years.
The earth-balling operations will be executed by EEI Corp. as the transferred trees inside the city parks will be jointly protected and maintained by Parks Development and the firm with the technical support of DENR.
The earth-balled trees will be transplanted to Quezon Memorial Circle and the center islands of Commonwealth Extension, Visayas Avenue, Mindanao Avenue and East Avenue.
“The trees to be cut down are likewise subjected to seedlings replacement as an added obligation to the contractors of the MRT-7. The tree-seedlings replacement ratio is 1:100 for premium tree species such as narra, molave, and acacia and 1:50 for non-premium tree species. The seedlings will be planted in Quezon City and other cities in the National Capital Region,” DENR-National Capital Region director Lourdes Wagan said.
Other affected tree species are mahogany, mangium, gmelina, bagras, banaba, and rain tree palms and bougainvillea.