The Save the Trees Coalition is challenging the local government in Angeles City over the aggressive pruning of trees along the Fil-Am Friendship Highway. While the city cites road safety, environmentalists argue that excessive topping and mutilation reduce the trees' ability to absorb carbon and mitigate urban heat.
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This is a classic case of policy intent versus field execution. The DPWH has clear rules on removing less than 25 percent of a crown, but the actual work on the ground ignores those standards. Without oversight, the guidelines are just paper.
Exactly. It is a waste of a natural carbon sink. When you strip a tree to the point of baldness, you lose the air pollution buffer and the cooling effect. It just makes the urban heat island effect worse for everyone.
I wonder if they actually hired certified arborists or just sent a crew with chainsaws. Proper pruning is a skill. If they keep mutilating these trees, the city will end up spending more on replacement and maintenance in the long run.
