The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to plant bamboo trees along the banks of the Cagayan River to help mitigate flooding in communities that were submerged during the onslaught of typhoon Ulysses.

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu issued the directive during a meeting of the Build Back Better Task Force (BBBTF) last Nov. 27.

Cimatu ordered the DENR regional offices in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and CALABARZON to ensure the availability of bamboo planting materials.

He also directed the regional offices to immediately start identifying areas along the river channels that are most suitable for bamboo propagation under the government’s Enhanced National Greening Program.

"The survival rate of bamboo is much higher and it has a faster growth rate compared to other trees," Cimatu pointed out.

He also cited bamboo’s potential to be "a sustainable source of livelihood for the people of Cagayan Valley while protecting the integrity of Cagayan River."

Cimatu earlier noted that bamboo is one of the fastest growing renewable resources in the world and is a sustainable alternative to wood.

It is also an effective climate change solution.

Bamboo is valued for its ecological benefits as it absorbs greenhouse gases, insulates carbon dioxide from the environment, and produces 35 percent more oxygen than its equivalent tree size.

The plant’s strong and extensive roots prevent soil erosion and landslides.

It can hasten aquifer recharge in a watershed and is a source of food and biofuel in the form of charcoal and briquettes.