18 November 2017, Siniloan, Laguna.  One of the most awaited days of INFOR was their November 18^th tree planting event with FEED and LIVING LEGACY Partner, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) at the Laguna Quezon Land Grant, a near 10,000 hectare forest in the Sierra Madre mountain range.

The tree-planting event was an adventure as it was a challenging day for the 45 INFOR volunteers, contributors and participants. Starting at around 8:00 a.m. with a quick breakfast – because nutrition has a huge impact on one’s trekking capability and endurance prior to and post planting – forest trailing for almost 2 kms at over 1,000 meters to a Sierra Madre peak – is not as simple as it may first appear to be, even when you arrive by bus on site.

With an average elevation of about 5,900 feet (1,800 metres), the Sierra Madre, extending along the Pacific coast from northern to central Luzon, is the longest mountain range in the Philippines.

It becomes blatantly clear how foresters and forest guards rely on food and fitness as critical factors affecting a successful trek during their forest rehabilitation and protection efforts, whether from seedling production to planting and monitoring – all equally important elements in a sustainable reforestation program.

“It was a really nice, nature filled day with great weather for planting.  The 9:30 a.m. briefings by UPLB Forester Rey Lorida and FEED VP Operations Diane Penales were informative, as it is clear we need all possible forces from all walks of life to engage in collaborative (public/private/NGO/academe/etc.) reforestation efforts, as no one agency or individual or group can tackle the pace at which climate change and weather unpredictability is affecting our rains and storm incidents in the Philippines, a regular recurring top 3 in the Global Risk Index”, cited one of the lead coordinators from INFOR.

One of the most interesting parts of INFOR’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program was the trek through the muddy forest trails, a challenge the INFOR participants were very keen to engage in, demonstrating their stamina and eagerness to get out in the fields and plant their trees.

The journey to the upland was fun, even if it was 30 degrees Celsius on a clear and sunny date with barely any shade; gratefully, the planting site assigned to INFOR was already prepared with holes dug out and standard spacing already prepared by forest guards.  Each participant was expected to plant 5 seedlings of Philippine native forest trees indigenous to the area, such as Malaruhat or Bani, and to also pray for every seedling to survive and live long for the protection of the eastern shoreline, watershed source and against regular Habagat* or Amihan* winds and associated downstream flooding.

*Amihan & Habagat

Amihan refers to the season dominated by the trade winds, which are experienced in the Philippines as a cool northeast wind.^[1] It is characterized by moderate temperatures, little or no rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the east.

Nov 8, 2013 Haiyan Anniversary.  Photo Credit: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/typhoon-haiyan-anniversary-40-powerful-photos-storm-that-devastated-philippines-1473294

As a rule of thumb, the Philippines’ amihan weather pattern begins sometime in November or December and ends sometime in May or June. There may, however, be wide variations from year to year.^[2]

Throughout the rest of the year, the Philippines experiences the west or southwest wind; south west monsoon,^[1] which in turn is referred to as the Habagat. The habagat season is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequent heavy rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the west.

The main indicator of the switch between the amihan and habagat seasonal patterns is the switch in wind direction. In most years this transition is abrupt and occurs overnight. In some years there is a period of perhaps a week or two where the wind will switch between amihan and habagat patterns several times before settling into the pattern for the new season.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amihan

Following the restoration of 200 native forest trees, participants were rather relieved to devour a native Binalot style lunch of chicken and pork adobo, rice, hard boiled egg and tomato – provided by the local community chef Manang Emy, who also lives in these mountains – experiencing the meal of a forest guardian (they typically average 1,000 hectares per forester patrolling the land grant).

Excerpt: How Is Climate Change Affecting the Philippines?

Haiyan, Thelma, Ike, Fengshen, Washi, Durian, Bopha, Trix, Amy, Nina. These are the 10 deadliest typhoons of the Philippines between 1947 and 2014.

What’s alarming is that five of the 10 have occurred since 2006, affecting and displacing thousands of citizens every time. Seven of these 10 deadly storms each resulted in more than 1,000 casualties. But the deadliest storm on record in the Philippines is Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Typhoon Yolanda, which was responsible for more than 6,300 lost lives, more than four million displaced citizens and $2 billion in damages in 2013. So what’s going on—is the Philippines simply unlucky? Not exactly.

Photo credit: The Climate Reality Project

The Philippines has long been particularly vulnerable to extreme weather. But in recent years the nation has suffered from even more violent storms like Typhoon Haiyan. On average, about 20 tropical cyclones enter Philippine waters each year, with eight or nine making landfall. And over the past decade, these tropical storms have struck the nation more often and more severely, scientists believe, because of climate change. In addition, two factors unique to the Philippines—its geography and development—have combined to exacerbate both this threat and its devastating consequences.

Geography

The Global Climate Risk Index 2015 listed the Philippines as the number one most affected country by climate change, using 2013’s data. This is thanks, in part, to its geography. The Philippines is located in the western Pacific Ocean, surrounded by naturally warm waters that will likely get even warmer as average sea-surface temperatures continue to rise.

To some extent, this is a normal pattern: the ocean surface warms as it absorbs sunlight. The ocean then releases some of its heat into the atmosphere, creating wind and rain clouds. However, as the ocean’s surface temperature increases over time from the effects of climate change, more and more heat is released into the atmosphere. This additional heat in the ocean and air can lead to stronger and more frequent storms—which is exactly what we’ve seen in the Philippines over the last decade.

Source: https://www.ecowatch.com/how-is-climate-change-affecting-the-philippines-1882156625.html

Big Tree Hugs to INFOR PSSC, Inc. Eco-Warriors!

Slideshow INFOR PSSC, Inc. Tree Planting

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About INFOR PSSC, Inc.

Infor is the third largest provider of enterprise applications and services, helping 90,000 customers in 170 countries improve operations, drive growth, achieve speed as competitive differentiator, and quickly adapt to changes in business demands. More importantly, we have increasing momentum, earning the business of more than 2,000 new customers in the past year, with double-digit sales growth over the last three quarters.

Corporate Citizenship

Commitment to employees, customer advocacy, social responsibility, and product innovation all contribute to a company’s success. Infor’s commitment to social responsibility is reflected in our offices across the globe, in our customer relationships, in our partnerships, and in our communities. We strive to make a positive impact by giving back to the local communities where our employees live and work.

Contact FEED

FEED runs a number of SAVE; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Mangrove Planting for coastal protection; One Child, One Tree; Bio-Intensive Gardens (BIG) in Public Elementary Schools; and other environmentally engaging activities for individuals and organizations interested in contributing to climate change adaptation efforts and greening critical areas such as watersheds, ridges, and reefs that all require rehabilitation.

Contact us at FEED for more details, to join our regular activities or to design your own CSR Program: info@feed.org.ph or call/text +63 (0)917 552 4722.

Check out the video journey by Clueless Commuter who planted with us last 24th of June 2017 to get a good idea of how the SAVE plantings go: https://youtu.be/KROn4rjVqBg

© FEED, Inc.