DENR to use clones in reforestation

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will use the cloning system to speed up the reforestation of some 5 million hectares of denuded forestland, DENR Secretary Heherson Alvarez said yesterday.

Alvarez officiated over the weekend the groundbreaking rites at the 66-hectare Forestville in the Science City of Muñoz where a tissue culture laboratory will be constructed as an initial step to the use of the cloning system for reforestation of denuded forestland.

He said that the laboratory is capable of producing 250,000 to 500,000 seedlings of choice tree species.

"Cloning ensures the seedlings will have the ideal characteristics of the mother tree versus other forms of propagation where the progenies qualities cannot be assured," Alvarez said.

The Agri-Aqua forest, according to Alvarez, is a pet project of the city administration of Muñoz and was started by former Mayor Efren Alvarez.

Alvarez said that three other cloning centers will be constructed this year to support its reforestation program where two of them will be located at the National Capital Region and the third in Southern Tagalog.

He said the DENR has leased the 58-hectare rolling hills of Barangay Mangandingay and Villa Isla in Muñoz for 25 years renewable for another 25 years. — Jose Rodel Clapano