Philippines sets tree-planting record

The event, which saw 64,096 trees planted in just 15 minutes, is part of a government drive to reforest parts of the country

Residents planting tree seedlings in the town of Pili in Camarines Sur province on February 23.

Conservationists planted a total of 64,096 trees in the eastern Philippine province of Camrines Sur within 15 minutes recently, breaking the Guinness World Record for the most trees planted simultaneously.

The Independent reported that close to 7,000 people from Siruma and Tinambac participated in the tree planting activity, which was organized under the El Verde ("The Green") program.

The provincial government plans to plant 12 million trees in the denuded forests of Camrines Sur by 2012. The idea is to make Camrines Sur "the greenest and most environmentally friendly province in Asia."

Camrines Sur is already one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines.

El Verde's feat smashed the record that was set last year by volunteers in the Himalayan district of Leh, where a total of 50,300 Ladakhi willows were planted in under an hour.

Global green group Conservation International recently ranked the Philippines as one of the top 10 endangered forest hotspots in the world, with only 7 percent of its original habitat remaining.

Source: CNNGO