A Cure to Tree Planting Phobia: TSSC Organizes Tree Registration Seminar
By Zorina Arellano, ICRAF-Visayas

Farmers are reluctant in planting trees in fear that unfamiliar timber utilization policies, that they perceive as both stringent and complicated, could prevent them from harvesting the trees that they plant. Stories abound in the barrios of how particular farmers got incarcerated for cutting down trees they have planted in their own farms and backyards. So why spend any effort in planting trees they may not be allowed to harvest?

The Tree Seed Systems in Communities (TSSC) project, at the forefront of promoting trees-on-farms, aims to remove this constraint through the promotion of timber utilization policies awareness among farmers and tree growers. ICRAF believes that if farmers are assured that they can harvest what they have planted, they could be encouraged to plant trees.

A number of farmers have come to know of government policies that facilitate harvesting of planted timber trees. But they have very little knowledge of these policies. Faced with this dilemma, TSSC project farmer-collaborators raised the need for a seminar on timber utilization policies.

In response to this call, ICRAF-Visayas coordinated with the municipal office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Albuera, Leyte to conduct a seminar on Tree Registration.

The seminar was held at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Church in Tabango, Leyte on July 25, 2006, and was attended by more than 30 farmer-collaborators from the different sitios of Omaganhan, Tabango.

Field Attendant John Israel served as facilitator with the assistance of other ICRAF-Visayas staff. Forester Merlyn Barte, the Planning Officer and person in-charge on tree registration of DENR-Albuera, served as the resource speaker. Municipal Councilor Erlinda Quinto opened the seminar with her welcome remarks.

Ms. Barte began her presentation with the definition of important terms. She discussed about the requirements needed if someone is interested to register planted trees. She emphasized that tree registration is necessary and it is very useful in expediting harvesting when the trees are marketable. Furthermore, a harvesting permit is no longer required once the trees are registered. However, a transport permit is needed if the cut trees cut will be transported from one barangay to another barangay or town. On the other hand, in the case of premium species such as dao, molave, and dalingdingan, among others, a special cutting permit is necessary even if the trees were registered.

During the open forum, one of the issues raised is land ownership trees plantations as most farms in Omaganhan are under the Certificate of Land Ownership Agreement (CLOA) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Accordingly, a certification from DAR is needed as a supporting document to the tree registration process.

At the close of the seminar, the participants expressed their renewed interest to register their trees and their willingness to cooperate in acquiring and processing the necessary tree registration documentation.

The TSSC Project is supported by the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional (AECI), and is currently implemented in the Central and Southern Philippines.