August 16 - 31 , 2017 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY 11
Park Board ’ s fall tree sale up and running Restoring Vancouver ’ s urban forest one $ 10 tree at a time
The Vancouver Park Board kicked off its annual fall tree sale today with 1,500 trees available online for $ 10 apiece .
The Park Board ’ s tree sales are a key part of its effort to restore Vancouver ’ s tree canopy which has seen a steady decline since the 1990 ’ s . Since its first tree sale in 2015 , the Park Board has sold more than 9,000 discounted trees to Vancouver residents . “ We need residents to
NLEX Corp . is investing up to P20 billion to extend the North Luzon Expressway to Bataan province , a top executive said .
NLEX president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said the company was currently doing the engineering study for NLEX Phase 3 , with the project cost estimated at P16 billion to P20 billion .
NLEX Phase 3 is envisioned as a 37.76-kilometer , two by two-lane expressway from Sto . Tomas , Pampanga to Dinalupihan , Bataan .
“ We are set to submit the investment proposal to TRB [ Toll Regulatory Board ],” Franco said .
Franco said the company was expecting to complete the right of way acquisition in two years and start the construction by 2020 .
Phase 1 of NLEX consists of four segments with a total length of 92 kilometers , including the rehabilitated and expanded 84-km stretch from Balintawak , Quezon City to Mabalacat , Pampanga and the 8.5-km Segment 7 from Hermosa , Bataan to Subic Freeport .
Phase 2 of NLEX consists four segments with a length of 21 kilometers , involving the construction of the greenfield northern C5 to connect the existing C5 from C . P . Garcia Ave . in the University of the Philippines complex in Diliman , Quezon City to NLEX , and extend westward to MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City , turning
help us grow the urban forest or we will continue to lose our forest canopy . This fall we ’ re also selling potted trees for balconies so apartment dwellers can help support Vancouver ’ s biodiversity .” said Park Board Chair Michael Wiebe .
Given that more than 60 percent of Vancouverites live in apartments , the Park Board is now including seven varieties of trees in the sale that live well in pots and are suitable for balconies as well as yards .
The majority of the balcony species are flowering — always a strong seller .
The last canopy cover study in 2013 showed about 18 percent of Vancouver was covered by tree canopy , a drop from 22 percent in 1995 .
Canopy is the amount of ground covered by tree leaves as seen from the air . The Park Board will take a new canopy cover measurement in 2018 .
Trees are crucial for filtering rain water , cleaning the air and supporting our wellbeing , all key goals of the Park Board ’ s Urban Forest Strategy < http :// vancouver . ca / files / cov / Urban-Forest- Strategy-Draft . pdf >.
Trees are only available to Vancouver residents and can be purchased at vancouver . ca / tree-sale < http :// vancouver . ca / parks-recreation-culture / vancouver-tree-weekend . aspx > with a maximum of three per household . Tree pick up is on Sept 17 from 9 am to
NLEX extending road to Bataan
south down to C3 in Caloocan City .
NLEX earlier said it was investing P29.43 billion in expressway projects between 2018 and 2020 .
These projects include NLEX Segment 10 which is projected to be operational by the first half 2018 ; Segment 10 from C3 to R10 section to be completed by first quarter of 2019 ; and the Subic Freeport Expressway to be finished by the first quarter of 2019 .
The NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2021 .
NLEX earlier reported a net profit of P2.3 billion in January to June , up from P2 billion a year ago .
Toll revenues increased 8 percent in the six-month period to P5.7 billion from P5.2 billion a year earlier , because of the increase in traffic at NLEX and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway .
The average daily traffic for NLEX reached 233,652 daily entries in the first half , or 7 percent higher than the same period last year , while average daily traffic alone SCTEX rose 24 percent to 54,991 daily entries .
Non-toll revenues amounted to P83 million in the first half , also up from P73 million a year ago , on higher royalty fees , utility facility fees and other non-toll initiatives .
NLEX earlier submitted unsolicited proposals worth P122.43 billion to build two major expressway projects . ( D . G . Amojelar , MS )
4 pm at Hillcrest Centre .
A limited number of trees , including some selected varieties from the Park Board ’ s tree farm , will also be available for cash purchase between 2 and 4 pm .
The Board and its partners aim to plant 17,500 trees this year toward the goal of 150,000 new trees by 2020 . More than half the trees have been planted to meet this ambitious goal .
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