Government bans mahogany, 

Gmelina in replanting forests 

CORTES, Bohol, June 6, (PIA)—Bohol is not going to fall into that same mistake of planting an invasive alien species (IAS) in its forestlands. 

Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) Forester Ariel Rica assured this during the recent Kapihan sa PIA commemorating the 32nd Philippine Environment Month in June. 

Asked about the comments environmentalists hurl at the Manmade Forest in Bohol, Rica, who is a Cebuano but heads the CENRO in Tagbilaran, explained that when the reforestation was started, there were no studies yet about monocultures and how they can affect the biodiversity of a place. 

Besides, many claimed that the reforestation was planned to cover the bald patches of forests left after people who evacuated the war stripped the forests to create patches for crops to sustain them as the war raged. 

Man-made forest is largely a mahogany forest, an exotic tree species that is fast growing and yet kills the plants near it take for its own all the nutrients in the soil so it can grow fast. 

Incidentally, mahogany trees do not bear fruit, and its flowers do not attract as much insects, so when one can have a forest-full of them, these tracts of land does not invite birds and insects, making it an artificial forest. 

Rica said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources now does not allow tree planting projects in all forested lands using IAS. 

However, since many people also intend to grow lumber for home and community use and mahogany and even gmelina are quick choices, the government allows this as long as these are in small patches and private agricultural lands. 

Along this, CENRO Rica announced that for people who intend to plant trees, especially during the environment month, the CENRO has endemic tree seedlings, but these are for small requests and not for large scale planting. 

Besides, he said the DENR has not put up the usual community mobilizations in reforestations and other environment conservation projects due to the regulations against the spread of the coronavirus disease. 

Even then, Rica echoed the call of DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito D. Melicor enjoining everyone to help safeguard the future by making sure that nature is protected, conserved and preserved. 

And when community mobilizations are still banned, environment authorities call for people to initiate “your own environment friendly practices,’ wherever you may be. 

This year’s theme is Protect Nature, Sustain Our Future. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol) 

LESSONS LEARNED. There will be no more exotic tree species to be used for replanting forests lands, revealed CENRO Tagbilaran Forester Ariel Rica, as this can potentially harm the forests. For people who would wish to plant these to harvest for lumber, they can still plant these exotic species but only in small numbers in alienable and disposable lands. (PIABohol)