BASED on initial studies conducted by the Forest Products Research and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-FPRDI), there is a possibility of changing the face of tree farming in the Philippines.
Dr. Marina A. Alipon and her team found out that at three years old, the falcata trees grown from known quality seeds may already be harvested, as their wood is already comparable to that of five and seven-year-old trees.
At present, farmers usually have to wait between seven to 10 years before cutting down their falcata.
Commonly grown in tree plantations across the country, falcata [Falcataria moluccana (Miq.) Barneby & J.W. Grimes] is the dominant species in the CARAGA Region in Northern Mindanao.
Of about 733,500 cubic meters of plantation logs produced in 2017, 67 percent were from CARAGA, and 91 percent of which were falcata.
The DOST-FPRDI researchers found that falcata wood at ages three, five, and seven did not differ from each other.
They all belong to the low strength group – which means they may be used for construction purposes where strength and hardness are not required, such as veneer and plywood.
Trials have shown that it may soon be possible to have a much shorter rotation time for growing falcata.
“So instead of harvesting only once in 10 years, for example, farmers can now harvest their trees three times – which, of course, means more income for them. The key is seed quality, because only superior seeds can produce falcate that grow faster than usual,” says Alipon.
According to Alipon, the next step for the research team is to compare the size of logs produced by younger trees with older ones.
It can be noted that industrial tree plantations were established in the Philippines beginning in the 1980s as substitute sources of raw materials for the wood industry.
It became even more popular after 2011 when the government imposed a logging ban on all natural growth forests.
An estimate made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources shows that the wood industry needs 6 million cubic meters of raw materials annually, a far cry from the 1 million cubic meters produced, three-fourths of which comes from tree farms.
Meanwhile, the DOST-FPRDI says the project was funded by the DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) through its Grants-in-Aid program.
Falcata is a fast-growing tree species, which is grown commercially in the Philippines.
The tree species gained popularity due to its suitability in the intercropping of coffee, cacao, abaca, and root crops.
In fact, they complement each other because of the shade that the tree provides to other growing crops.
Because of this, efforts in promoting the development of the tree species have already been done by national government agencies and local government units way back years ago.
Falcata became the farmers’ choice of species to plant due to its fast growth, high yield, and usefulness for lumber and peeler log (a material for veneer and plywood)./PN
