Lopez Inc. SEVP Benjamin R. Lopez and DENR Usec. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia are joined at the ribbon-cutting ceremony by DENR regional director Sophio Quintana; FPRC president Oscar R. Lopez Jr.; forester Eleazar Alaira, PENRO-RizalLaunched in 2008, the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) BINHI Greening Legacy program aims to restore 1,000 hectares of denuded forests and bring back the abundance of premium threatened native tree species within 10 years.

BINHI is the only one undertaking the propagation of these native trees. After the team identified, located and collected samples of the 96 targeted native tree species, it sought to propagate them.

To do this, EDC constructed an automated nursery called a vegetative material reproduction (VMR) nursery along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo, its first in Luzon.

The VMR nursery was inaugurated on April 20, 2018 to celebrate Earth Day, which is observed on April 22 every year.

“This first VMR nursery in Luzon was built here in Antipolo to serve the big and ever-growing demand for our native trees here in the region. It can house a total of 50,000 seedlings at a time,” said Ricky Carandang, EDC vice president for Corporate Affairs.

The nursery uses a stateof-the-art, automated mist irrigation system. Its sensors can be programmed to automatically turn on the mist irrigation at the right time and with the appropriate moisture content, giving off just the right amount of mist to mimic natural firest habitat conditions.

EDC also inaugurated an automated nursery in its Southern Negros Geothermal Project in Valencia, Negros Oriental as a part of its three-in-one Earth Day weekend celebration. The nursery was transferred from EDC’s Northern Negros Geothermal Project in Bago, Negros Occidental, which was built in 2012, to make it more accessible to BINHI partners in the region.

EDC plans to build another automated nursery in its Mt. Apo Geothermal Business Unit in North Cotabato.

Currently, EDC has 152 partners in 16 regions who have pledged to keep planting and nurturing the native trees. (Story/Photo by: Kreeshia Share)

EDC VP Ricky Carandang; LGFI president Cedie Lopez Vargas; and EDC senior manager Atty. Allan Barcena (left); The VMR nurseries use an automated mist irrigation system