Protesters insist trees will suffer
By JM Agreda, SunStar.com.ph
January 20, 2012

 PROTESTERS scheduled to march down Session Road Friday lambasted SM’s recent statement claiming it will not cut 182 trees during its mall expansion and instead transfer the trees to other locations.

Environmentalist Michael Bengwayan said the earth-balling process is also a death sentence to Alnus and pine trees that will be affected by the expansion.

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Bengwayan stressed the low survival rate of past pine tree earth-balled in the city even with Department of Environment and Natural Resources having monitored the activity.

In Camp John Hay alone sometime in 1990s, Benwayan said, out of the 475 pine trees transferred, only 17 percent survived. The trees that survived, he said, are either sick or are in the brink of dying too.

This is because a tree with a diameter of more than 15 centimeters has less chance for survival, he said.

“They are subjected to stress-related problems due to tremendous root loss when dug. This condition, commonly called transplant shock, results in increased vulnerability to drought, insects, diseases and other problems,” he said.

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