Restoration of Philippine Native Forest by Smallholder Tree Farmers - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 320

Active participation of the smallholder tree farmers is critical in the development
of appropriate production model. Considering the diverse conditions, options, limi-
tations and stakeholders present in various regions of the country, a generalized
pattern for species planting, species mix or combination is difficult to make for all
the smallholder tree farmers in the Philippines. The challenge to evolve site and
locality-specific domestication strategies for ITS is clear and imperative. However,
the scale of production from a particular species in a locality must be economically
feasible to support the wood processing requirements in that area. Wood industries
normally require large-scale plantations as reliable sources of raw materials for
their processing plants. The shift to the community-based forest management,
demands models of smallholder tree farms aggregated together as a confederation
large enough to sustainably supply the needs of wood processing plants using ITS.
Additionally, upland farmers rarely plant trees in blocks (boundary or contour
planting), thus models or schemes which integrates the ITS in the agroforestry farm
that respond to market requirements and demands while at the same time address-
ing the farmers limitations and their livelihood options are critical research
questions.
Enrichment planting technologies are already available but prioritizing ITS in enrich-
ment plantings particularly in CBFM projects is an important move. Accomplishments
of the community-based projects with Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) components with funding from Asian Development
Bank (ADB) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) revealed that
most of the species planted are the fast growing exotic species, e.g. Gmelina arbo-
rea , Swietenia macrophylla and Gliricidia sepium . Pterocarpus indicus is the only
indigenous tree species commonly used by the POs (NFDO 2003). This ground
reality is quite off tangent to existing policies of DENR, e.g. DENR Memorandum
Circular No. 20 Series of 1990 (Guidelines on the Restoration of Open and
Denuded Areas within National Parks and Other Protected Areas for the
Enhancement of Biological Diversity) and DENR Administrative Order No. 32
Series of 2004 (Revised Guidelines on the Establishment and Management of
Community-based Programs in Protected Areas) which prescribes the planting of
indigenous and endemic species for these particular areas.
Dipterocarp pilot plantations have been established by DENR Regional Offices
all over the country by virtue of DENR Administrative Order No. 21 Series of
1996. Pollisco (2007) provided information regarding the distribution and accom-
plishments of this particular directive. On average, most regions established and
maintained around 100 ha of dipterocarp plantations with Region 7 (Central Visayas)
topping the list with more than 600 ha. Key lessons from these plantations have not
been widely disseminated to allow wide replication of this notable endeavor.
Despite, these seemingly impressive accomplishments, these pilot plantations
are still significantly less than the existing exotic plantations.
Another innovative approach employing indigenous tree species that could be
emulated is the Rainforestation Farming pioneered at the Leyte State University
(now Visayas State University) in Eastern Visayas. The Project combines the ele-
ments of sustainable rural development, conservation of remaining primary forests