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Bring back real forests. Plant native trees.

The destructive floods of last year have again made people and policy makers aware of the need to reverse the ongoing destruction of the country’s forests. The floods served us another wake up call that our fate and security is tied closely to our environment.

Again there is talk about the need to impose a total log ban in our remaining forests, and to replant trees in areas that are at risk of flash floods.

However, as we prepare to reclaim denuded mountains and reforest them, let us make sure that we are really restoring forests and not simply planting trees.

We all know that reforestation is important and that we need to plant more trees.

But do we also know that there is a right and wrong way to do reforestation?

What do we mean when by “right and wrong reforestation?”

The forest is not simply a collection of trees—it is an ecosystem. What this means is that inside a forest, a deep connection binds all the creatures there with each other. The different plants and animals that live within the forest benefit from the trees, and the trees also derive benefit from them.

For example, birds eat fruits from forest trees. But birds also pollinate the flowers of these trees. And after eating the fruits of these trees, birds also scatter their seeds and help these trees spread their kind.

This interdependence or network of interlocking relationships between the creatures of a forest is what defines it as an ecosystem. It is not uncommon to find species in the forest whose survival is deeply connected with other species in the forest.

The world's largest flower needs a special vine to live.

The giant flower Rafflesia that is found in the province of Antique is dependent on a species of vine called Tetrastigma. Without the Tetrastigma, the Rafflesia will not be able to live and procreate.

The case is the same with the harpy fruit bat (Harpyionycteris whiteheadi) that depends on the fruits of the pandan plants. If the pandan plants vanish, the harpy fruit bats will likely starve and become extinct

Clearly, the forest is much much more than a mere collection of trees. If we want to restore the forests of the country, we need to respect the interdependence that exists between the trees and the other living creatures in that forest.

If we want to plant trees in our forests, we need to make sure that these trees will benefit the other creatures living in our forests. And the only way we can ensure this is by planting tree species that originally came from that forest.

This is the only way we can be certain that we are restoring the forest, that we are doing the correct way of reforestation.

However, it is saddening to note that most reforestation projects overlook this fact. Instead of trees that are native to the forest, these reforestation projects use exotic trees imported from other countries that are very near useless to the other plants and animals of our forests. Dubbed as “fast-growing trees,” these species are often not only useless to the other beings in the forest, sometimes they may even be harmful to these other creatures.

Doesn’t it make more sense to use fast-growing trees so that the forest can be regenerated faster?

Fast-growing trees are acceptable for tree-plantations or tree farms because these trees can be harvested much sooner. For timber companies, it is makes much more sense to plant exotic fast-growing trees. Exotic fast-growing trees can also be used on denuded wateresheds that need to be reforested quickly.

Planting native trees benefits native wildlife and enhances the forest ecosystem.

But if our goal is to to bring back the original forest and protect the unique plants and animals that live there, exotic trees are wholy inappropriate. Instead of the commonly-practiced reforestation, Haribon is pushing for a strategy called Rainforestation. It is a strategy to bring back the original forests of the Philippines and restore habitats for our indigenous wildlife.

But won’t it take longer to bring back our forests if we don’t use fast-growing trees?

In the studies conducted by the Leyte State University (where the Rainforestation technology was developed) native dipterocarps grow just as fast the exotic Gmelina—a tree species from South America that is commonly used in reforestation projects.

But besides the growth rate of these trees, planting native dipterocarps also ensures that we are bringing back real forests, forests that are healthier and more resilient.

Exotic trees are not used, so to speak, to the insects and animals in our forests. Because of this they are easily infected by diseases and ravaged by insects to which native trees have already developed a resistance.

Like a lot of tree plantations in Mindanao that were ravaged by insects, forests planted with exotic trees are also susceptible to pests.

Planting exotic trees can also have harmful effects on the other plants and animals around them. Farmers in Kalinga for instance noticed that the jackfruits they were harvesting near the Gmelina trees had somehow become more and more bitter with each harvest. The vegetables planted near the Gmelina trees also died. It was too late when they found out that the Gmelina tree had somehow altered the chemistry of the ground around it and made it more acidic.

What benefits can we get from planting native trees?

Compared to exotic trees like Gmelina and Falcatta which are commonly used in reforestation projects, native tree species actually yield higher quality wood. Wood from Narra, Lauan, Magkono (ironwood) and Yakal is highly valued internationally for its toughness and strength.

Tarsiers returned to the forests of Leyte replanted with native trees.

But besides this we can also take comfort in the fact that by planting native trees we are also providing homes to our indigenous plants and animals.

By bringing back the original forests of the land, we can also bring back the wildlife that once flourished in there. In Leyte where a successful reforestation campaign was conducted under the Rainforestation model, it didn’t take long for people to notice that tarsiers had returned to the reforested areas.