Volume 27 No. 2 March - April 2001 ISSN-0115-0960 c a n o p y I N T E R N A T I O N A L All articles are incumbent to the current period. Published by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources What’s inside . Editorial Geographical Rethinking our values occurrence and distribution of Along environmental pagsahingin and its conservation floral associates 2 ccording to environmentalist Tom Bender, “ values are really a complex Seedlings/Planting and compact repository of survival wisdom — an expression of those A feelings, attitudes, actions, and relationships that we have found to be materials: A most essential to our well-being.” Values influence behavior. They determine nationwide supply one’s priorities and ultimately, one’s survival. Over time, values change as and demand situations change. scenario 3 The path to environmental conservation is littered with cast-off values. To mention a few: materialism, planned obsolescence, and a desire for large families. Participation of PAMB in protected Materialism presumes that man’s fundamental needs are material. With it, area management 4 individual identity becomes equated with the accumulation of material possessions. The drive to accumulate wealth originated in the belief that man is separate from nature and its master. This attitude has led to the abuse of The mangroves of natural systems and resources. It has blinded economic planners to the need to Bohol: An acknowledge Planet Earth’s carrying capacity. ecological If we see ourselves as an integral part of the natural world, then we will alert destination 5 ourselves with the environmental ethic that preserves the biological and agronomic underpinnings. Solid wastes: Their In the face of a wide reassessment of values, the pursuit of materialism has potential hazard begun to recede. One alternative to materialism is the so-called voluntary simplicity. Lester Brown, one of the world’s most influential thinkers, put it to inland waters 6 simply: “To practice voluntary simplicity is to acquire goods only to satisfy basic needs and to seek a high satisfaction in personal development, in human Mobilizing the relationships, and in intellectual and spiritual growth.“ youths along Followers of voluntary simplicity, that is, those who content themselves with no enviromental more than they need are growing in numbers around the globe especially in concerns 9 industrialized countries. They deliberately give up the frantic pursuit of material goods in favor of a simpler lifestyle. They are engaged in recycling, home gardening, biking to work, and in the resistance against lavish or wasteful Earthwatch 12 spending and planned obsolescence. page 11 Off the Press March 2004 ) Geographical occurrence and distribution of pagsahingin and its floral associates Concepcion M. Palaypayon and Felix F. Ordinario agsahingin (Canarium asperum reportedly common in primary Benth.) is one of the few resin- and secondary forests on very Pproducing tree species of the different, dry to wet, sometimes family Burseraceae. This indigenous marshy soils, at times in more tree species is noted for its resin, known open forests, or savannahs. in trade as “Manila elemi”, which is Seeber et al. (1979), on the indispensable for its various industrial other hand, reported that the uses. However, its present occurrence species could be found in lower and distribution is obscure. There is a hill dipterocarp forest, especially need to update information regarding in drier sites and among yakal- the specific location of stands of the apitong association. species, and find out the species Pagsahingin chiefly flowers and behavior in its natural habitat as fruits from March to October. influenced by climatic types. Knowledge on the bioecological factors relative to Objectives the suitable growth and development of The study aimed to determine pagsahingin should be made available (1) the geographical occurrence to sustain the various stands throughout and distribution of pagsahingin; the country, most likely in the low and and (2) the specific plants (flora) medium elevations of primary and that associate with pagsahingin. secondary forests. Methods Characteristics and ecology Information about the According to Seeber et al. (1979), occurrence and distribution of Pagsahingin (Canarium asperum) generally occurs on lower hill diptercarp forests, especially on drier areas and mostly on yakal- pagsahingin is a tall tree with a compact, pagsahingin were obtained apitong association. spherical, dark-green crown, a through written inquiries to cylindrical bole attaining a diameter of regional offices of the one meter or more and pronounced Department of Environment and Natural Results buttresses that form a wide angle with Resources. Provinces were then Results are presented in Table 1 which the trunk. selected representing four climatic types shows the occurrence and distribution of of country. pagsahingin trees in the provinces Pagsahingin is widely distributed in the (classified according to types of climate), Philippines but nowhere abundant Establishment of sample plots their measurements, and their plant (Leenhouts, 1959). Aragones (1995) A particular area in a low, or medium associates. added that other than information on its elevation of either a primary or a distribution, quantitative data on the secondary forest belonging to a certain Based on the inventories conducted, present exploitable volume of climatic type was selected and surveyed pagsahingin was observed generally pagsahingin are not available. Since of pagsahingin. This walk-through occurring on lower hill dipterocarp much of the primary forests in the activity determined the exact location of forests, especially on drier sites and country have been heavily logged, and the trees. Once a pagsahingin tree was mostly on yakal-apitong association most of the second-growth forests have located, its base was considered a (Seeber et al., 1979). This was obtained been converted into human settlements, center of a circular plot. The standard in Palawan where most of the it is assumed that earlier records of its size of a plot was 1,000 sq m, or 0.1 ha, pagsahingin trees were associated with distribution and other qualitative with a radius of 18 m. apitong (Dipterocarpus grandiflorus), a information about pagsahingin are by noted dipterocarp species. now obsolete. Identification of special associates All vegetative species like trees, shrubs, As to the number of pagsahingin trees Most Canarium species occur in primary including herbs found in the plot, were observed in each province, Palawan had forests at low and medium altitudes identified and recorded. Fauna that had the highest (201). Zambales ranked (Leehouts, 1959). Pili (C. ovatum), for been observed were identified and second (95), followed by Leyte (41), instance, is never found occurring recorded regardless of the plot. The Negros Oriental (21), Quezon (18), beyond 500-m altitude, while whole forest, anyway, was considered a Sorsogon (17), Camarines Sur (13), and pagsahingin occurs mainly at the given plot. Agusan del Sur (9). Zamboanga del Sur elevation, more rarely found at altitudes had the least (4). above 1,000 m. Pagsahingin is page 10 ) 2 CANOPY International March - April 2001 A survey report— Seedlings/planting materials: corresponding species being used by the government and the private sectors A nationwide supply involved in different planting activities. Information on the regional seed supply and demand scenario was based on seed production areas per species, area in hectares, and estimated Aida B. Lapis, Jesus DL. Posadas, and Norma R. Pablo seed yield/count. Integration and analysis of gathered data resulted in a national demand and supply of seeds/planting stocks. Results also eforestation in the Philippines is seed orchards (Sos), and provenance indicated possible sources of seedlings/ traditionally practiced to provide trials to produce superior quality planting planting materials that can be supplied to R immediate soil cover, to stop materials. another region. further degradation of the country’s remaining forests and the consequences Objectives Results of deforestation. While the government This study was conducted from January Based on the data gathered, the has embarked on vigorous reforestation to March 2003 with the following seedlings/planting materials demand work for the last five decades, there are objectives: indicated the different species used in still large tracts of degraded areas to be the regions by the government and the reforested yet. The availability of ❑ To establish baseline data on private sectors. More than 69 million seedlings and other planting materials is seedlings/planting materials different seedlings/planting materials vital for a progressive tree planting requirement and estimate the (forest trees, fruit trees, mangrove activity. The unavailability of good capacity of existing seed production species, rattan species, anahaw) are planting stocks that would ensure future areas per region; and required by the government and the wood production is a concern besetting private sectors for their various activities/ tree farmers in the country. ❑ To present a supply and demand program. scenario of seedlings/planting The planting targets and nursery materials per region. Generally, species commonly used by capacity of the government and the the government and the private sectors private sectors involved in reforestation Methodology are Swietenia macrophylla,