Negros Occidental gets 4T hectares new forest cover
The forest cover of the province has risen to 40, 445 up by 4,000 hectares from the previous 36,000 in 1992.
This figure constitutes 5% of the total land area of Negros Occ. which is 792, 607 hectares, Provincial Environment and Natural Resource Officer Livino Duran,said
Duran told PIA the 4,000 hectares increase in the close forest cover or virgin forest is the contribution of the forest protection efforts of the provincial government and its people.
The open forest area of Negros is now placed at 11,792 hectares constituting one percent of the total land area of Negros while the shrubs or "lati" is 77,310 hectares making-up nine percent of the province' land area.
" If we have to summarize the three: close or virgin forest, open forest including the shrubs, this would account to almost 15% of the total land area of the province," he said. "But this is short of the 40% requirement for ecological balance," he added
Duran explained that the open forest and the shrubs tree population would later on become the province' potential close forest in the next ten years by natural regeneration.
"The DENR will continue to vigorously pursue reforestation programs to improve the province' forest cover," he said.
(PIA-LOL)