BAGUIO CITY —- Remember the bracing smell of pine trees when one goes up to Baguio? This may soon return as the Baguio City Council has approved on first reading a measure declaring all pine trees in the city as “heritage and protected trees”.

Councilor Leandro Yangot, Jr. said his proposal will apply in the entire city though without prejudice to other administrative, civil, or criminal offenses as may be filed against violators.

Anyone who violates any provision of the law when passed shall upon conviction be subjected to a fine of P5,000 per violation and imprisonment of 6 months or both at the discretion of the court.

This was prompted by the realization that in time, Baguio City will lose all the pine trees in the name of development and its title as the City of Pines and the Pine Tree Capital of the Philippines.

Based on studies, a pine tree absorbs as much as 150 liters of water, then releases it to ground water.

Pine trees are said to prevent landslides and erosions. “That is why the need to declare them as heritage trees for them to be protected and preserved,” Yangot said. DMS