The Jan. 6 editorial (“Genuine growth”) was right on target in highlighting the urgency of reforestation efforts and the establishment of the National Greening Program (by Executive Order No. 23), under which millions of seedlings have reportedly been planted in over 292,000 hectares nationwide. Quantity, however, is not everything; attention must also be focused on what to plant. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of the nonfruit trees planted are mahogany, gmelina and other introduced species. Such fast-growing trees are suitable for commercial plantations, but not for watershed rehabilitation and biodiversity conservation.

Primavera, J. H. (2013, February 14). Reforestation: not quantity but quality of trees. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A16.