Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Invasive Tree Planting: Tolerated and Profitable

             When a tree planting program is launched, everyone's first response is to join in hordes with shovels and bagged potting soil. In recent decades, society saw the rise of environmental concerns in the mainstream with companies and governments implementing green efforts into their structure. Minimizing ecological footprints and curbing global warming is a goal the human race as a whole is interested in achieving; and planting a tree always top the lists of what an individual can do for the environment. 

But it seems a tree isn't all the good it's thought to be. 

The aim of tree planting activities is to counter the effects of deforestation by replacing the lost trees with new ones. These trees not only absorb the excess carbon dioxide created by industrialization but also house wildlife, keep the natural landscape intact, prevent erosion and deter landslides in the annual typhoon season. But the commonplace tree planting activities in the Philippines are often flawed, creating artificial forests that fail to fulfill their purpose in the environment. 

The main reason for these failures? Tree planting coordinators fail to put into account "quality over quantity" in organizing reforestation efforts and make use of invasive tree species like mahogany and gemelina that are not natural in the Philippines. People forget that there are endemic trees naturally designed to keep the Philippine ecosystem intact like the narra, mabolo and ylang-ylang. 

Mahogany trees alone make up most of the tree planting efforts of the government, being quick-growing trees that grow straight and propagate easily. These features may seem positive in restoring a crippled local environment but these trees do more harm than good in the long run. They are not resilient in typhoon weather unlike local tree species and they do not harbor the native biodiversity very well. 

The so-called 'Philippine Mahogany' was exported a century ago in vast quantity, but this name is not a single specie, it covers a whole section of the dipterocarp family that is mainly used for timber. The Philippine government's National Greening Program has reported to have already planted millions of mahogany seedlings in their aim of planting 1.5 billion trees by 2016.  

So how can a Philippine tree be considered invasive? The answer, it is not a Philippine tree, at all. What Filipinos plant in multitudes are actually Bolivian mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla). The mistake was to bundle a handful of tree species together and put them under one name. Unfortunately, the Bolivian mahogany is the most common of these misnamed trees.  

According to UP-Diliman professor James V. LaFrankie (who holds a Harvard Ph.D in Biology and author of 'Trees of Tropical Asia'), the defects of the Bolivian mahogany is that it has no ecological business in the Philippines.  

"It has no pests and no friends. Nothing eats the leaves, no insect visits the flower, no animal will eat the fruit. Not even soil fungi will tolerate the roots. The dry winged seeds fly deep within any forest where they quickly germinate and spread," writes LaFrankie in an article directed to the Department of Energy and Natural Resources' so-called unwitting destruction of the Philippine forests. 

"Part of the problem stems from the use of the name mahogany. Many people, including DENR staff, believe they are planting a Philippine tree. They are not. It might help if we start by calling the tree what it is. It is not mahogany, it is Bolivian mahogany and it does not belong in the Philippines... To put Bolivian mahogany within that Philippine forest is an act of ecological vandalism," La Frankie further explains. 

Adding to this, various environmental advocates have argued that the natural design of the Bolivian mahogany raises acidity level in soil through its decaying leaves and does not allow other species of trees to grow in its immediate vicinity. Pair this with the Bolivian mahogany's wide seed-propagating range of about ten meters that spreads their territory by germinating, in turn making the soil inhabitable in a new area. This results in a slow poisonous crawl. In cases like Mt. Makiling, where Bolivian mahogany have replaced the native forest, the area becomes a biodiversity-dead zone. 

If this is the case, why is the DENR still endorsing the Bolivian mahogany in its six-year (2011-2016) National Greening Program? In an interview with Emma E. Melana, the National Greening Program Coordinator of Region 7, the issue of profit was revealed. 


Q: There had been some concern over mahogany being an invasive species 
A: "Yes, it is not indigenous here in the Philippines. It was introduced here as one of our reforestation species, because it grows well and makes a more productive forest for timber or lumber for our constituents, especially the farmers. These are preferred by CBFM (Community Based Forest Management) holders because they can utilize the wood for lumber---it is straight 

As to invasive, it is documented that it is invasive but I think it's not a problem in the country. Because, actually, we lack timber resources because our natural forests is already prohibited. No harvesting in our natural forests, so we are heavily dependent on our planted trees. And mahogany is one, so I don't think it is a problem.  

And we are happy if they can cover the grasslands, they are always in danger of fire...It think it's not a practical problem for the country because we depend much on mahogany and gemelina for our timber resources.” 

Q: Once the timber is harvested, will it be replaced by the same species? 
A: “It is up to the farmer. If they find the mahogany good, they still plant it. And one thing is, they [mahogany] can regenerate, you need not plant them. You can harvest the bigger ones and there will always be regeneration; it can be sustainably managed...that's the beauty also with mahogany.” 

Q: What other tree species are being used for reforestation? 
A: “We are also introducing indigenous trees, especially in the National Greening Program, is working hard on reproduction of indigenous trees like molave and narra. Because molave and narra grow well in Region 7, being limestone.” 

Q: Are these farmers private farmers? 
A: “There are private farmers and those with our CBFM, the Community Based Forest Management. They used to be kaingineros (slash-and-burn loggers) who occupy forest lands. We are managing them and teaching them proper technology so they would no longer burn forests; they are already implementing soil and water conservation. They are the upland farmers occupying or tilling public lands. 

They receive free seedlings and under our National Greening Program, they are actually paid to raise the seedlings for them to be our partners in development.  

They are paid to raise seedlings, to plant the same and to grow the same.” 

Q: Where does the timber profit go? 
A: “There are shares of the government and the farmers also.” 

Q: Are these timber for export? 
A: “As of the moment, locals use because they are our local supplies. Because we can no longer harvest from our natural forests.” 

Q: Is there a record of the native ecosystem being disturbed by the timber trees? 
A: “There is none.” 

Q: Many netizens express concern over the mahogany's invasive nature of turning the soil too acidic for other plants. Has anyone approached DENR 7 about this? 
A: “No, but that's true [mahogany's acidity].” 

Q: Do you think mahogany will eventually be replaced by indigenous trees? 
A: “Actually there are still problems with indigenous trees because they are slow growing and farmers still prefer to plant the mahogany. In fact we are in the difficulty of promoting them to tree planters. 
They do not appreciate it because it takes a long time before they can harvest it unlike the mahogany which you can harvest in about ten years.” 

Q: Do you have anything to say  to concerned individuals and organizations about the invasiveness of mahogany? 
A: “I could say there should be no alarm on that. We depend on mahogany for our timber. We think they are not so invasive as grass, they can be managed because we use most of the wood. We would appreciate it if they cover our grasslands.  

After all, they're also useful, they are not waste. They contribute just like other trees in the carbon dioxide situation. In fact, they consume a lot of carbon dioxide, being fast growing. “ 
  
             It became apparent that the National Greening Program was less of a reforestation effort than a farming scheme. Instead of addressing ecological issues, the government respond with the financial benefits of invasive species that is literally displacing the local habitats. Its aim of planting 1.5 billion trees in over 1.5 million acres of land in over six years counts the harvested trees just to reach their 2016 quota. 

We’re not reforesting, we are farming.

In 2011 alone, a DENR Memorandum Circular ordered the production of 25 million exotic seedlings that include mahogany, gemelina and rubber trees, all of which are fast growing but less adaptive to the Philippine ecosystem. In contrast only 5 million native or indigenous trees were ordered.

Dr. Perry Ong, a Biology professor of the University of the Philippines Diliman have also encountered the finance-grounded response of the DENR concerning the NGP. He said that one of the reasons that the DENR chose to plant more exotic trees is because they are more abundant in supply, "They only get what is available in commercial nurseries. Of course, you won't find native tree species seedlings because they survey in the commercial. They were catering to the commercial operator,"

                For a country investing in forests, we are not really banking on the rich biodiversity endowed in our Southeast Asian territory; which also happens to have one of the most diverse land and aquatic reserves in the whole world.

                        We have yet to see the lasting effects of the invasive species taking over the local soil. Whether the DENR’s decision to invest in profitable lumber than restoration of the forests will mark the Philippine ecosystem in the following decades yet remains unclear, it is certain that only the Filipino people as a whole can demand a change in their agenda.

References: 
(n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5596e/x5596e03.htm#TopOfPage 
V. LaFrankie, Ph.D, J. (2014, August 10). DENR must stop destroying our forests. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.manilatimes.net/denr-must-stop-destroying-forests/118026/ 
Cagayan town OKs mahogany planting ordinance. (2014, December 19). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.manilatimes.net/cagayan-town-oks-mahogany-planting-ordinance/150085/ 
Manila Seedling Bank keeps on growing trees. (2013, August 13). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.manilatimes.net/manila-seedling-bank-keeps-on-growing-trees/29237/ 
E. Madarang, R. (2012, December 16). An appeal to people who plant trees. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/17982-an-appeal-to-people-who-plant-trees 
Why your tree planting isn’t helping the Philippine environment. (2014, October 8). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from https://feelingenvironmentalist.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/why-your-tree-planting-isnt-helping-the-philippine-environment/ 
DENR Directory of Key Officials. (2015, October 5). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.denr.gov.ph/about-us/denr-directory/38-directory-of-key-officials-r5r6r7.html 
NATIONAL GREENING PROGRAM. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.denr.gov.ph/priority-programs/national-greening-program.html 
Ranada, P. (2014, June 22). Rethinking the National Greening Program. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/60948-rethinking-national-greening-program 
Ranada, P. (2014, February 21). Is the gov't reforestation program planting the right trees? Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.rappler.com/nation/51200-national-greening-program-native-trees 
O. Baquero, E. (2014, November 19). Public urged to help conserve electricity. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://archive.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2014/11/19/public-urged-help-conserve-electricity-377497