I WAS sitting under the canopy of narra trees I planted eight years ago in our little property south of Metro Manila and immediately got relief from the scorching heat. That day the temperature was 35°C. I grew over 30 narra trees from pods I picked up during my long walks. Some seedlings were “adopted” by my friends and planted in Bulacan and Antipolo. This is my zero-budget voluntary urban greening and flood control project.
Trees have an immediate cooling effect. A single tree can reduce temperatures by 2°C and even more in urban areas. Think about how hot it is when you’re walking in the sunny side of the street, but in the shaded part you get a little reprieve. If cities made a distinct effort to invest in greening open spaces and sidewalks with Philippine native trees, they’d contribute a lot more than just cooling its immediate areas. Simply planting trees on city streets can transpire water which has a cooling effect of two domestic air conditioners running for 24 hours, according to a UNEP study in 2023.
I’d like to think everyone wants urban parks and tree-lined walkways. I see a rising interest in urbanism on my social feed. The more politically aware millennials and Gen Z seem to be attuned to urban issues that go beyond political color and personalities. And trees seem to be a unifying factor regardless of politics.
From an urban planning and design perspective, LGUs can connect green spaces and create wind corridors that reduce local temperatures. Urban forests and parks give cooling benefits beyond 1 kilometer of their boundary. It mitigates the effects of urban heat island. Trees lift warm air above ground level and disperse cooler air.
Urban greening programs bring multiple benefits. In addition to the cooling effect of tree canopies, they bring ecosystem services. Trees help control erosion, prevent flood, improve health, and contribute to climate targets. Trees can mitigate air pollution. Urban trees also provide a range of physical and mental health benefits. With proper landscape design, trees can enhance the streetscape aesthetically. Residents with access to urban forests and tree-lined sidewalks will be encouraged to walk and jog, thereby promoting health and well-being. And from an economic perspective, planting trees is an effective way to cool cities compared to infrastructure and air conditioning.
Nature-based solutions such as greening programs are often overlooked in city planning and city-cooling strategies. There needs to be a systems approach to ensure tree planting efforts are not wasted. If complemented by other efforts to reduce heat, such as public transportation, urban design and green architecture, the cooling strategies will be maximized.
Pagasa raised an El Niño alert that will likely develop between June and August 2026, lasting until early 2027. We can expect even drier-than-normal conditions, dry spells and potential for drought in some areas. This will have an effect on agriculture production, thus there is a call for much needed irrigation and adopting to drought-tolerant crops. With extreme weather conditions like the cyclical El Niño phenomenon happening more frequently, the planting of trees in urban areas and critical watersheds is an important long-term strategy to mitigate the effects of El Niño. Trees help in droughts and extreme heat by retaining ground water, providing shade and regulating local climate.
My recent visit to Iloilo City gave me hope. There I saw the long-term effect of local government and private sector working together to create a “garden city.” The Iloilo River Esplanade is deservedly a source of pride, not just for Ilonggos but for all Filipinos with a concern for urbanism and environmental stewardship. It took over two decades for 25 species of mangroves to grow along the river banks. Mangroves are a natural regenerating buffer that protect against floods, storm surges, and coastal erosion — a natural flood control project. On top of its ecosystem services, the mangrove-lined Iloilo River provides a beautiful backdrop for a comfortable walk along its linear park boardwalk.
Cities need funds to create new parks and to maintain them. The distribution of green space in a city is not always equal. This discrepancy is visually evident if you look out the window when you fly out of NAIA. The private subdivisions with single-detached homes have green canopies. The densely populated low-income areas have little to no greenery visible.
We cultivated my baby narra trees for years. Growing trees does not end in a tree-planting activity. And not all spaces can accommodate a narra tree. Narras have strong roots and a wide, massive canopy. When Typhoon Milenyo and Typhoon Glenda struck in 2006 and 2014, respectively, many of the fallen century-old “acacia” rain trees in Metro Manila were replaced with narra and other Philippine native trees. Narra is resilient and supports biodiversity. It should be considered for urban open landscapes. Urban sidewalks may handle narrower native trees like Dita or Bitaog. The DENR Forest Management Bureau has a free guidebook on plant species suitable for urban greening available online, published in 2023.
I didn’t expect to be so moved by sitting under the narra trees I planted eight years ago. I’ve always been sentimental and tree-loving. But seeing and feeling the benefits of trees I grew from seed to canopy goes beyond cliches, poems and slogans of a liveable or green city. I am invested in this world and this country, as a mother to three daughters and a grower of over 30 narra trees. My urban greening and “flood control” program cost me nothing but time, a little water and TLC.
