Danao to resurrect Bohol 'extinct trees'
by Rey Anthony Chiu
Tagbilaran City (29 February) -- KAMUNGGAYON. Anislag. Putian. Malapapaya. Baulingan. Familiar?
Well, perhaps not. That's because those tree species common to Bohol then may not be as common to all areas in the island's forested lands now, in fact some may be considered already extinct in some places.
But, given the right amount of nature nurture, environmentalists are confident that the same tree species may sprout back with hardly any toil at all.
Human activity in the past centuries had its toll on the forests and natural regeneration of these species of tress have been hampered by the aggressive grasses and other invading species. By this, regenerants of hardy pioneer trees, bushes and herbs have lain buried under it, shared Paul Manalo.
Only the application of assisted natural regeneration (ANR) is for him the best option as it is the most effective low-cost forest restoration.
Luckily for him and his Bagong Pag-asa Foundation, even the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Forest Management Bureau and the Food and Agriculture Organization is looking at the same way.
Now in the mainstream of the country's forest regeneration program, the ANR is implemented in a twenty hectare grassy patch in Barangay san Miguel Danao, one pilot project in Bohol.
The underlying principle of the project involves man-nurturing nature. Here, man takes full advantage of the wildlings like pioneer trees and other species under the pesky grasses and use them as nurse trees, gap species or climax trees, Manalo said during the Kapihan sa PIA.
Aside from preventing fires, controlling cogon and the fire prone grasses from causing havoc to identified forest patches, the Danao ANR would have the community nursing the grown of existing the stock and young tree seedlings that sprout from the area, Municipal Public Information Officer Ma. Loinda Saluan added during the forum.
With DENR and United Nations' FAO assistance, the project proponents have launched Advancing the Application of Assisted Natural Regeneration here, one which also promises community involvement and forest resource management and massive livelihood potentials.
"For Danao, Bohol, it is a plus factor as it attempts to nestle its claims of the new eco-cultural and extreme adventure destination in Central Bohol", says a source identified with Mayor Thomas Louis Gonzaga.
The target is to re-grow the forest while educating the people that as always, watershed rehabilitation and other environmental objectives would be taken over timber production, though it may be a good added income later, he added.
And not only that, we wish to witness our young kids see the value of our forests and the trees our forefathers have so been used to, and which we might not be seeing right now, he concluded.
Over the attempt, it may not be long when the names pagoringon, binunga, tubog-putian, magsa-ing, logon, mangadlaw, laniti, anilao agasi and hagakhak may not sound funny anymore. (PIA)
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