Did you know that all "able-bodied citizens of the Philippines, who are at least 12 years of age, shall be required to plant one tree every year" per Republic Act No. 10176 (the Act Reviving the Observance of Arbor Day). This Act "aims to protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature."

What exactly is Arbor Day?  This is a holiday celebrated by groups and individuals to encourage treeplanting.  It is usually celebrated in the spring in the countries with temperate climate and in the wet season in countries in the tropics, like the Philippines.  The Arbor Day treeplanting activity must be organized by the local government and includes provision of tree seedlings.  Although this is set on June 25 in the Philippines, some areas celebrate it on other dates usually during the rainy season. It makes sense because you would not want to plant trees in the height of summer when the heat and lack of water will not give the young trees a fighting chance. 

Planting trees is important for several reasons. The most important reason why we need to plant trees is because they release oxygen into the air and take in carbon dioxide. Also, as they take root in the ground, the trees stabilize the soil, prevent erosion and improve the water quality in communities.  Trees also provide us with materials for food and housing. It is therefore important for us to plant trees and plant them in locations with healthy soil in our backyards, in parks or in wetlands. We have also learned that we must choose trees that are indigenous to the area where the planting will be held so we do not introduce invasive species of plants that can cause damage to the ecosystem.

On July 28, 2018, the Province of Laguna in partnership with the Municipality of Bay, Laguna conducted a TREE GROWING ACTIVITY at San Antonio, Bay, Laguna at 7:00 in the morning.  Our organization as part of the Diocese of San Pablo was invited to join in the tree planting activity to celebrate ARBOR DAY.  You will see in the photos below some members of our organizations and provincial and local government officials who participated in the treeplanting activity.

During the treeplanting activity, the matter of trees as a main source for making paper came to mind. In this day and age when we are going  digital, the need for paper is becoming less. We can actually go to school and finish a course without buying a book since many schools are using iPads and tablets for their students. I know of one school that even rents out their schoolbooks so that several students can use the same set of books for a couple of years.  These are good ideas since less use of paper for those books means less cutting down of trees to make paper.  In offices, we can also go paperless since we can conduct work through the internet and emails.  There are many ways by which we can reduce the use of papers like writing on both sides of a sheet of paper, using rags instead of paper towels to clean our homes, etc.  Let?s remember that reducing the use of paper is one way of saving trees.