Title: Restoration of Philippine Native Forest by Smallholder Tree Farmers
Abstract: This chapter examines how indigenous tree species domesticated by smallholder tree farmers can contribute to the restoration of the Philippine native forests vis-à-vis the popular use of exotic species in many forest plantations. The dominance of exotic tree species in the Philippines is attributed to the following reasons: (a) wide adaptability and tolerance to stress particularly in marginal sites; (b) fast growth and high yield; (c) available research and technological information and; (d) abundance of and access to quality germplasm. There are mounting interests and experiences in growing indigenous tree species (ITS) as indicated by the planting initiatives documented in various parts of the country. With community-based forest management as a national policy, the role of smallholder tree farmers particularly in forest restoration has become more important than ever. These two developments require important strategies to be put in place to surmount the constraints of, and facilitate the domestication of, ITS namely: (a) prioritizing the ITS by region; (b) increasing the availability of, and improving access to, good quality germplasm which includes seeds, vegetatively-propagated stocks and Wildlings; (c) generating farmer-friendly technologies that spans from production to processing; the strategy also includes the appropriate dissemination and adoption of these technologies to the end users; (d) strengthening the use of ITS in biodiversity conservation programs; (e) improving access to market information by tree farmers and establishing close links to the wood market and; (f) reviewing and reforming policies and providing adequate incentives to promote plantation development.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 20
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