Restoration of Philippine Native Forest by Smallholder Tree Farmers - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 307

Paraserianthes falcataria, Eucalyptus deglupta and Acacia mangium . Nasipit
Lumber Company (NALCO) (Agusan del Norte) has more than 4,000 ha of exotic
plantation. The main species planted are: P. falcataria, G. arborea, Acacia
auriculiformis, A. mangium, Pinus caribaea, Swietenia macrophylla and Tectona
grandis . Provident Tree Farm Inc (PTFI) (Agusan del Sur) has established another
6,000ha of plantation dominated by exotics like A. mangium and G. arborea
(Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau 1998). The Bukidnon Forest Inc.
an industrial tree plantation in Malaybalay (Mindanao) has successfully established
6,367.52 ha of assorted exotic trees. The major species planted are: A. mangium,
Eucalyptus urophylla, E. deglupta and P. caribaea . Some native species have
been tried which includes: Pinus kesiya, Casuarina equisetifolia, Lagerstroemia
speciosa, Pterocarpus indicus var. echinatus and Shorea contorta . However, very
small areas were allocated for planting these native species. It was claimed that
most of the native species are slow growing with high mortalities which increased
plantation costs and therefore undesirable to management (Cuevas 1999).
Private tree farms have followed suit and planted mainly exotics. Gmelina and
large leaf mahogany are the top choices among private tree farmers. In fact, in
Region 2 (northeastern Philippines) all tree farms registered with the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were planted to either of the two
species. Nationally, the two species are found in all regions. In a study of six
regions, it was found out that Gmelina (75 percent or 47 respondents) and mahog-
any (40 percent or 25 respondents) are indeed the two most popularly planted spe-
cies. Mangium ( A. mangium ; 38 percent), eucalyptus (37 percent), falcata ( P.
falcataria ; 24 percent) and narra ( Pterocarpus indicus , six percent) are the other
commonly planted species in these private tree farms (Carandang 2000).
Another study conducted among 50 smallholder tree nursery operators in Cebu,
Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental reinforced the predominant practice of raising
exotic trees. Seedlings in the forest nurseries studied were composed of 59 percent
timber species, 36 percent fruit trees, and five percent species. Of the timber species
being raised, 35 percent are indigenous and 65 percent are exotic. Bagras
( Eucalyptus deglupta ) ranks as the most popular species being raised in 48 percent
of the nurseries studied. Other popular species include large leaf mahogany
( Swietenia macrophylla , 35 percent), A. mangium (21 percent), Black wattle
( Albizzia lebekkoides , 19 percent), Eucalyptus robusta (19 percent), E. torreliana
(17 percent), narra ( P. indicus , 17 percent), and yemane or gmelina ( G. arborea , 15
percent). All, with the exception of narra, are exotics (Tolentino et al. 2001).
Eucalyptus deglupta is an indigenous species but the local provenances were not
used and instead exotic provenances (Papua New Guinea) were planted.
The use of exotic species is not an exclusive silvicultural preference in the
Philippines. In Southeast Asia, countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam
have developed extensive plantations of exotic trees like S. macrophylla , P. fal-
cataria, A. mangium , P. caribaea, Eucalyptus spp, and Casuarina spp (FAO
Forestry Database). Even in Brazil, another country with active plantation
activity, data as early as 1900s revealed an inclination towards the exotic euca-
lypts over Brazilian timber species (Navarro de Andrade 1941). In fact, as of