What you need to know about the process of earth-balling trees

CEBU, Philippines - The technical term “earth-balling” has become popular because it is usually mentioned in discussions about projects that involve trees.

  The construction of the Cebu Coastal Road tunnel and the improvement of the road along S. Osmeña Boulevard are among the instances where earth-balling was discussed.

But do we really understand what earth-balling means?

Earth-balling is a process of transferring, from one location to another, a tree or vegetation that has grown past its seedling stage.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has laid down guidelines in transplanting grown trees through a memorandum issued by then Environment secretary Jose Atienza  Jr. in November 27, 2009 entitled “Guidelines and Procedures on the Planting, Maintenance and Removal of Trees in Urban Areas and in Areas Affected by Government Infrastructure Projects.”

“The memorandum by then secretary Atienza spelled out the process of earth-balling, discussed the conditions what trees are to be earth-balled,” said Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Cebu Cleo Colis.

According to the memorandum, a grown tree or vegetation measuring 15 centimeters and below may be earth-balled if they are found to be healthy, its immediate environment or surrounding free from any structures or impediments to support digging and moving operations, and lastly, a suitable and available site is properly identified by DENR with a guaranteed continuous growth and survival.

The same order likewise required those who earth-ball trees and vegetation to maintain and protect each transplanted tree for a period of at least one year, giving the DENR a periodic status report to monitor the growth and survival of each transplanted tree.

In the event that the transplanted tree does not survive, the order provides that replacement trees, indigenous tree saplings of at least one meter tall, must be planted. The number of replacement trees would depend on the diameter of the transplanted tree that did not survive.

No permit, No Earth-balling

A permit must be obtained from DENR before any earth-balling is conducted. To apply for a permit, an application letter, photographs of trees to be removed, sketch map showing the location of trees to be removed, endorsement of local government unit concerned, Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) if needed as well as minutes of public consultation concerning the removal of trees should be submitted.

An ECC can be obtained from the Environmental Management Bureau of DENR.

Before the actual earth-balling, an Environmental Impact Assessment must also be done.

Earth-balling and Pruning/Trimming permits, regardless of number of trees are approved at the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) level.

However, those who apply for cutting, earth-balling and trimming/pruning at the same time, the authority issuing office depends on the number of trees affected: For 10 trees and below, permits are issued by the CENRO; for more than 10 but less than 30 trees, permits are issued by the PENRO; for 31 to 50 trees, the regional executive director of the DENR will issue the permit. When there are more than 50 trees that will be affected by the abovementioned processes, the approving authority is the DENR Secretary.

How is Earth-balling done?

The DENR has identified two methods to be used when earth-balling trees and vegetation — bare-root and balled-and-burlapped.

The bare-root method is usually employed when transplanting shrubs or small trees up to two inches or five centimeters in diameter.

The balled-and-burlapped method, meanwhile, is done for trees that are more than two inches in diameter that have to be moved during its growing season, and when the tree is considered difficult to transplant.

This method specifies that the balled-and-burlapped tree must have a soil ball.

The DENR has specified the corresponding size of the soil ball in proportion to the depth.

Earth-balling procedure:

1.  Remove loose materials around the tree/vegetation to avoid causing surface roots injury or cut.

2.  A circle of about six inches or 15 centimeters, bigger than the diameter of the soil ball, shall be marked which will be the basis for final trimming of the tree prior to transfer.

3.  Use a spade in digging nine to 12 inches (21-31 cm) depth around the marked circle.

4.  The soil ball is shaped by rounding off the top edge of the ball making a uniformly-tapered, nearly oval ball.

5.  Smaller soil balls for small trees/vegetation can be manually transferred by sacking. However, mechanical equipment like cranes must be employed for trees with bigger diameters, especially heritage trees.

6.  The earth-balled tree must be transplanted not more than 24 hours after its removal from its original location.

Colis said earth-balling is an expensive procedure, with the cost rising as the diameter of the tree to be transplanted increases.

 “Earth-balling can be expensive. For example, the one done at Plaza Indepencia when the tunnel was constructed cost around P1.5 million per tree. The contractor had to use a crane, which is rented per hour. If you want to make it less expensive, choose trees with diameter not more than 15 centimeters because you will spend a minimal amount for the manual labor of carrying the tree and the vehicle used,” Colis told The FREEMAN.

No clear rule prior to 2009

Before the issuance of the 2009 DENR memorandum, Colis admitted there has been no clear policy or uniform guidelines followed in the country as far as earth-balling is concerned.

“Most contractors opt to cutting of trees and replace them with a number corresponding to the age and diameter of the cut tree. This is because it is less expensive than earth-balling,” Colis said.

For projects that affect a number of trees, especially those considered to be of heritage value, DENR advises contractors to hire a forestry expert consultant to guide them on the proper ways to ensure the survival of the transplanted tree or vegetation, he added.

Benefits from trees

As an integral part of the planet's balance, trees are known to be beneficial not just to man but to the environment as a whole.

Among its direct benefits include food, clothing, shelter, medicine.

Indirectly, trees ameliorate the environment as these minimize pollution, modifies microclimate of an area, supply oxygen (medium sized tree produce as much oxygen three men need).

The woody perennial plant likewise has identified sanitary influences as it lessens global warming threat by trapping carbon dioxide at a rate of 1 ton carbon dioxide per hectare.

Apart from reducing noise, trees also improve water quality as in water catchment facilities used for community water supply.

DENR'S National Greening Program (NGP)

 With the aim of protecting and sustaining forestry in the country, President Benigno Aquino issued last February 2011 Executive Order 23 Declaring a Moratorium on the Cutting and Harvesting of Timber in the Natural and Residual Forests and Creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force.

Under EO 23, the DENR is prohibited from further issuing and renewing logging contracts and tree cutting permits pending the review and recommendation of the office of the environment secretary.

The state environment agency is also directed to review existing logging agreements aiming to cancel violating parties.

Furthermore, Aquino, in the same month and year, issued EO 26 establishing the National Greening Program aiming to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide in six years, specifically from 2011 to 2016.  Since its inception, Central Visayas has pitched positive remarks reaching the target 85 percent annual survival rate.

For 2014, Central Visayas targets 23,246 hectares, where Cebu needs to plant 7,142 hectares for this year.

The NGP for 2014 in the region is working on a budget of P329,797.

Colis said planting has started at the onset of the rainy season this June but stressed optimism in hitting the target despite the El Nino phenomenon to be felt later this year and early 2015.

"We have so far planted around 40 hectares of mangroves in Sibonga and Argao. We will have the assessment of planted trees this coming August," he said.

NGP seedling production inventory for the region as of June 27, 2014 said a total of 1,074,556 seedling stock in the Central Visayas.

Cebu contributes most number with 474,496 followed by Bohol with 389,234, and Negros Oriental with 210,826. — /QSB (FREEMAN)