Planting more trees may sound like a simple environmental slogan, but in truth, it is a matter of national survival. The way I see it, trees are not just decorative greens on our hillsides—they are the capillaries of our watersheds, the same way veins feed the human body with life. Take away enough veins, and any organism collapses. The same goes for our forests.

To me, it is simple mathematics. More trees = stronger watersheds. Fewer trees = weaker watersheds. But here’s the irony: the fewer the trees, the stronger the floods. Water comes down the mountain faster, with more force, and with less filtration. So yes, we see more water during storms—but less of that water ends up stored underground where we actually need it. What kind of math is that?

This is where our understanding of watersheds becomes crucial. A watershed is not just a land area—it is nature’s drainage and filtering system, quietly collecting rainfall, slowing it down, storing it in roots and soil, and channeling the excess gently toward rivers and lakes. Without trees, this natural mechanism collapses. Rain turns into surface runoff instead of being absorbed. Soil erodes instead of being anchored. Rivers silt up instead of flowing freely.

This explains the difference between two kinds of floods—something we often overlook. Flash floods come quickly because trees are too few to slow the rainfall down.
Ordinary floods come slowly; water trickles down because forests are doing their job. So when people ask why tree planting is essential, the answer is simple: trees prevent flash floods. They may not stop all floods—no forest can hold back a typhoon—but they drastically reduce the “attack speed” of water coming down mountainous terrain.

More trees also mean more root systems, and the roots are the real engineers here. They absorb water like sponges, hold soil together, recharge aquifers, and keep landslides at bay. In fact, hydrologists estimate that forest soils can store up to 10 times more water than barren land, thanks to organic matter and root density. Healthy forests can raise groundwater levels, protect irrigation systems, and ensure year-round river flow.

This brings me to a point often forgotten in our water debates: water districts and our major concessionaires should be the biggest investors in tree planting. Why? Because the water that eventually reaches their dams and filtration plants comes from forested watersheds. Strengthen the forest, and you strengthen the water supply. Neglect the forest, and you jeopardize the business model itself.

Some water utilities abroad have already realized this. New York City, for example, avoided building a multi-billion-dollar water filtration plant by investing directly in watershed restoration in the Catskill Mountains. Instead of constructing expensive machinery, they “built” forests—and saved money.
The Philippines should take that lesson seriously.

Every reservoir—Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, Laguna Lake—depends on upstream forests that are thinning out year after year. Reforestation is no longer optional. It is a life-support system for Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and every province that relies on mountain waters.

We should no longer plant trees merely during campaigns or disaster anniversaries. We need systematic, science-based reforestation tied to local livelihoods, agroforestry cooperatives, bamboo propagation, and community stewardship. If each barangay “adopts” its micro-watershed, we can rebuild our national water security from the ground up.

At the end of the day, the equation remains clear: More trees, stronger watersheds. Stronger watersheds, more life.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES
http://www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com