It was only a couple of years ago when I attended my first tree-planting activity. Since then, I've co-organized two of them at work, the more recent one happening this October.
The one I co-organized last year had about 50 volunteers. This year, we were hoping to have 150 but almost half backed out so instead we ended up with close to 80 participants. While it isn't as good as what we initially set out to achieve, it's still a bigger activity than the one we had last year.
We partnered yet again with Haribon Foundation for this event. When we got to the venue, Haribon gave us a brief overview of their ROAD to 2020 program. Tanay, Rizal has become a prime tree planting spot ever since Ondoy because Tanay and its nearby areas were significantly impacted by the Ondoy floods. Of course, given how hilly Tanay is, it made for an interesting trek from our assembly point to the actual tree planting area.
Before we started, a guide gave us instructions on how we should plant the seedlings. This was a lot more physically challenging than last year's event because the heat in the days leading up to our activity left the soil very dry and hard so we needed to crumble them with our hands (or even pound the tough soil with rocks or our shoes) before putting them back into the holes in which we placed the seedlings. The degree of difficulty of course made this activity even more rewarding for the volunteers.
Thankfully, we didn't have to dig holes into the ground. Haribon had already ensured that the holes were prepared and the trees placed right next to each hole. Bamboo markers were placed right next to each hole to make it easy for us to spot them. We gently remove the plastic bag that the seedling had been placed in, put it into the hole, and add soil into the hole to make the ground more or less level and ensure that the tree is stable. Once this is done, the plastic bag from which we took the seedling will be stuck onto the bamboo marker. This will help Haribon identify which trees had been planted so they can take good care of them and ensure proper seedling maintenance and cleaning.
We were supposed to plant 2000 trees that day and we were more than halfway when we were told that we needed to pack it up because rain clouds were approaching. And true enough, a few minutes later, the rains fell. It wasn't heavy rain but it was enough to drench us moderately on our trek back to our buses. By the time we got back into our buses, the rains had abated but the trail was now too slippery. So our tree planting activity officially came to and end. We still managed to take a few more post-rain photos...
While we may not have successfully planted out goal of 2,000 seedlings because our work was rudely interrupted by rain, it was still a very successful event with the volunteers being pleased about the experience. And heck, 1,000+ trees is nothing to sneeze at! We are planning an even bigger activity next year so I can't wait for that. :)
The one I co-organized last year had about 50 volunteers. This year, we were hoping to have 150 but almost half backed out so instead we ended up with close to 80 participants. While it isn't as good as what we initially set out to achieve, it's still a bigger activity than the one we had last year.
We partnered yet again with Haribon Foundation for this event. When we got to the venue, Haribon gave us a brief overview of their ROAD to 2020 program. Tanay, Rizal has become a prime tree planting spot ever since Ondoy because Tanay and its nearby areas were significantly impacted by the Ondoy floods. Of course, given how hilly Tanay is, it made for an interesting trek from our assembly point to the actual tree planting area.
Before we started, a guide gave us instructions on how we should plant the seedlings. This was a lot more physically challenging than last year's event because the heat in the days leading up to our activity left the soil very dry and hard so we needed to crumble them with our hands (or even pound the tough soil with rocks or our shoes) before putting them back into the holes in which we placed the seedlings. The degree of difficulty of course made this activity even more rewarding for the volunteers.
Thankfully, we didn't have to dig holes into the ground. Haribon had already ensured that the holes were prepared and the trees placed right next to each hole. Bamboo markers were placed right next to each hole to make it easy for us to spot them. We gently remove the plastic bag that the seedling had been placed in, put it into the hole, and add soil into the hole to make the ground more or less level and ensure that the tree is stable. Once this is done, the plastic bag from which we took the seedling will be stuck onto the bamboo marker. This will help Haribon identify which trees had been planted so they can take good care of them and ensure proper seedling maintenance and cleaning.
We were supposed to plant 2000 trees that day and we were more than halfway when we were told that we needed to pack it up because rain clouds were approaching. And true enough, a few minutes later, the rains fell. It wasn't heavy rain but it was enough to drench us moderately on our trek back to our buses. By the time we got back into our buses, the rains had abated but the trail was now too slippery. So our tree planting activity officially came to and end. We still managed to take a few more post-rain photos...
While we may not have successfully planted out goal of 2,000 seedlings because our work was rudely interrupted by rain, it was still a very successful event with the volunteers being pleased about the experience. And heck, 1,000+ trees is nothing to sneeze at! We are planning an even bigger activity next year so I can't wait for that. :)
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