TSSC Explores New Frontiers: In Search of Mother-Trees in Eastern Samar
By Florante Sabejon, ICRAF-Visayas

An ICRAF-Visayas Tree Seed Systems in Communities (TSSC) project team composed of Florante Sabejon, Andres Obusa, Julito Itumay, Samuel Nulla, and John Israel embarked on a mission to explore the mountain range of Taft, Eastern Samar to locate and identify mother trees of different dipterocarps species on July 4-6, 2006. These trees will serve as sources of germplasm for hedge garden establishments in the ongoing TSSC project.

The group found, and was able to collect, wildlings of dipterocarp species of white lauan, mayapis, bagtikan, dalingdingan, yakal, and tangile. The availability of these trees is crucial for the TSSC project as it aims to establish hedge gardens of these trees prior to engaging in clonal propagation of different dipterocarp, and other premium timber trees in Central Visayas and Mindanao.

Aside from the specie-of-choice for the establishment of hedge gardens, the Dipterocarpaceae family has also been slated as the focus for the incoming Tree Portfolio activity of the TSSC project.

Lengthy transits on infernal back roads, and days of trekking and mountaineering – these are but the most basic routine pursuits that make a genuine forester. And as night falls, a few bundles of wildlings can become a quite unusual prize for such a worthwhile day.

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