Dead Benguet pine gives life to tree monument in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY—Sometimes, it takes a woman to make a point about Baguio City’s diminishing pine cover.

A 200-year-old Benguet pine (Pinus insularis) that was declared dead by the environment department last year has been reshaped into a 50-foot tall “Mother Earth” monument to the city’s remaining pine forests.

Blessed by a mambunong (native priest), the giant sculpture was unveiled by artists on Jan. 23 along the road leading to Mines View Park, one of the top tourist sites in the summer capital.

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PS In this article, Tebtebba Foundation mentions that pine seedlings have a survival rate of 70%, and that reforestation areas are being dedicated (I would use the word re-allocated) to other concerns.  This article is also significant, as it correlates diminishing water supply / watershed areas with reduced forest cover.