I am writing this simple prognosis in my capacity as a concerned private citizen in order to provide some insights on the issue of balling and transplanting of Benguet Pine (Pinuskesiya) and Alnus (Alnus japonica) trees at the SM City Baguio Expansion Project.

Tree Health Assessment. I was commissioned to conduct tree health assessment inside the SM Primehodlings Property at Luneta Hill, the site identified for the SM City Baguio Expansion project sometime in February, 2012. Without hesitation, I did the evaluation of the 140 trees (43 Alnus trees and 97 Pine trees) that were given earthballing permit by the DENR.

Of the 140 trees that I evaluated, only one Alnus tree has a diameter of 18 cm dbh. This is the only tree that qualifies for tree balling based on the guidelines issued by the former DENR Secretary Lito Atienza in 2009. The rest of the Alnus and Pine trees have dbh 20 cms and over. The biggest Pine tree has over 100 cm dbh (reported to have only 75 cm dbh in the list).

Suitability of balling and transplanting of Alnus trees. Balling and transplanting of healthy Alnus trees can be successful even if the dbh is more than 20 cms as long as correct balling and branch pruning procedures are done. Alnus or alder (Alnus japonica) is a broadleaf species like Narra (Pterocaprusindicus), Mahogany (Swieteniamacrophylla) and Akasya (Samaneasaman). They are very versatile species. They respond very well to tree balling even if the size of the root ball is reduced to the minimum and the crown is reduced to more than 1/3 of its size.

Suitability of balling and transplanting of Benguet Pine. Pines including our own Benguet Pine and Mindoro Pine (Pinusmerkusii) are very sensitive species. They can hardly respond to balling and transplanting. They are generally classified as the least adaptable species for balling and transplanting by James (1983) and Harris (1999).

The typical root system of Benguet Pine is well developed tap root and long laterals which put down a series of vertical sinker roots (Cooling, 1967). This characteristic makes Benguet Pine sensitive to balling and makes balling difficult if the correct size of root ball has to be followed. The roots and crown of Benguet Pine when pruned do not regenerate even with the application of root and shoot promoting hormones unlike broadleaf tree species.

Balling of large sized Benguet Pine trees will be a waste of valuable wood. Based on the inventory by the DENR Cordillera Administrative Region, the volume of wood of 97 Benguet Pine trees is 50.48 cu. m. If this volume of wood will be converted into useful products, the stored carbon can be continuously stocked in the wood as long as the wood products are used properly and as long as they will not deteriorate, decay or decompose.

Balling and transplanting of Pine trees particularly those with 20 cm dbh is very expensive. The carbon foot print is high, since there will be more emissions of CO and other gaseous pollutants like SO2 and NO during the tree balling operations. In the absence of appropriate balling and transplanting equipment, available heavy equipment like back hoe, crane, hauling trucks that are fed with diesel will be used. Transport of balled materials from SM site to transplanting area may cause traffic jam hence there will be additional emissions of pollutants. (To be continued)