TMC starts phase 2 of Philippine Sustainable Reforestation

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces it held a signing ceremony here today to mark the start of Phase 2 of the Philippine Peñablanca Sustainable Reforestation Project, a tree-planting project in the northern Philippines. 

More than just tree planting, the project—in the Luzon Island town of Peñablanca (about 500 km north of Manila)—seeks to give root to practices that support the livelihood of the local community, while ensuring the reforestation effort remains a success. In Phase 2, to encourage residents to continue reforestation activities beyond the conclusion of the project, efforts will focus on heightening the awareness of residents and of cooperatives set up under the project, and on starting the use of the fund to finance the reforestation. Also in Phase 2, volunteers from TMC local subsidiary Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation are scheduled to plant 1,000 trees over the next three years.

In a joint effort, TMC, the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Peñablanca Municipal Government and the international environmental non-government organization Conservation International have been conducting reforestation efforts since September 2007. In Phase 1, the project included the establishment of a forest exclusively for harvesting wood for fuel as a way to ward against the unregulated felling of trees, and promoted the planting of mango, cacao and other fruit-bearing trees, from which part of the harvest income could be used to establish a fund managed by cooperatives set up by the project for expanding and sustaining the reforestation.

In December 2009, for its high standards and achievements, the project was awarded a Gold rating under the international Climate, Community and Biodiversity Project Design Standards*.