PALAYAN CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) called on the public on Tuesday to avoid making any possible source of fire, including the throwing of lighted cigarette butts in any part of the mountain, as fire razed at least 232 hectares of forest in two Nueva Ecija towns in the past two months.
Provincial environment and natural resources officer (Penro) Joselito Blanco said several forest brigades composed of forest rangers and volunteers are closely guarding forest but extreme heat made it hard for them to contain fire.
The affected forests were mostly in Carranglan which include a National Greening Program area in Barangay Puncan and in Lupao town.
He regrets that a lot of people worked hard in planting trees and government resources were wasted in the fire.
