FOR l

General
Forestry
LECTURE 1.1

FORESTS, FORESTRY
AND THE SOCIO-BIOPHYSICAL SYSTEM
VINCENTPALOMO
Institute of Renewable Natural Resources
College of Forestry and Natural Resources
University of the Philippines Los Baos
Tel. No. (042) 536-2557
E-mail: arboriculturist2012@gmail.com.ph

TOPICS

Definition of a Forest
Types of Forest
Functions of a Forest






Current Condition of our Forests
Causes of Deforestation
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BOS

FOREST
wald
bosque
foresta
skog hutan
mets
Gubat
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Quiz

What is your idea of a forest? Draw it.

Write 3 adjectives that you think best describes a forest.
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FOREST
-home to a great number and variety of species
of plants, animals and other organisms
interacting with each other
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FOREST
-a plant community predominantly of trees and other
woody vegetation, growing more or less closely together
(Sharma,1992)
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FOREST
-an ecosystem characterized by more or less
dense and extensive tree cover
(Ford-Robinson,1971)

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FOREST
Forest is a land area of more than 0.5 ha, with a tree
canopy cover of more than 10%, which is not primarily
under agricultural or other specific non-forest land use.
In the case of young forests or regions where tree
growth is climatically suppressed, the trees should be
capable of reaching a height of 5 m in situ, and of
meeting the canopy cover requirement.
(UNEP/CBD, 2001)
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TYPES OF FORESTS
Tropical Forests
Temperate
Forests
*Plantation
Forests
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TYPES OF FORESTS
Global Forests
Tropical Forests
Tropical Moist
Forests
Tropical dry
Forests
Temperate Forests
Coniferous
Forests
Broad-leaf and
Mixed Forests
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TROPICAL FORESTS
found in the area between the Tropic of Cancer
and Tropic of Capricorn
cover 7% of the earths surface
generally, there are two categories of tropical
forests the moist and the dry forests
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TEMPERATE FORESTS
found in the northern and southern
hemispheres
specifically in Canada, Northern Europe,
Russia and North eastern Asia
Mix of deciduous and coniferous evergreen
trees


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PLANTATION FORESTS
Has around 7% of global forest cover (140 million
hectares)
Produces more sustainable timber and fibre than
natural forests
Plantations produce around 40% of industrial wood
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Falcata (Paraserianthes falcataria)

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Bagras (Eucalyptus deglupta)

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Big Leaf Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)

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TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS
Accounts for 2/3 of all tropical moist forests
Receive an evenly distributed rainfall of at least 1800
mm per year
Found in South and Central America, Oceania,
Southeast Asia, South Asia, West and Central Africa
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TROPICAL RAINFORESTS OF THE WORLD

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MANGROVE FOREST
a wetland ecosystem dominated by woody plants
consists of halophytic trees, shrubs, and other plants
growing in brackish to saline tidal waters of the
coastlines
trees develop mechanisms to adapt to tidal changes
and saline condition such as pneumatophores, prop
roots, branch roots, leathery leaves, and vivipary
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Bakauan lalake (Rhizophora apiculata)

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Bakauan babae (Rhizophora mucronata)

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Bungalon (Avicennia marina)

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Api-api (Avicennia officinale)

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Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba)

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Nypa (Nypa fruticans)
BEACH FOREST
grow in sandy shores above the high tide line
this is an important sentinel against storm surge
and retains the coastlines through the root
formation that conserves the sandy shore
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Pandan dagat (Pandanus tectorius)

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Talisai (Terminalia catappa)

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Agoho (Casuarina equisetifolia)

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Dungon late (Heritiera sylvatica)

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Dap-dap (Erythrina orientalis)
MOLAVE FOREST
found in areas with distinct dry and wet seasons
and where limestone soil (quite shallow and
excessively drained) is prevalent
usually in coastal areas
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Molave (Vitex parviflora)

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Molave (Vitex parviflora)

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Kamagong (Diospyros blancoi)
DIPTEROCARP FOREST
widely found in moist valley bottoms up to the hills
and mountain ridges of an elevation up to 600
meters above sea level
about 75 80% of all forests in the country exhibit
this type
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White lauan (Shorea contorta)

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Red lauan (Shorea negrosensis)
PINE FOREST
in semi-temperate regions, evergreen trees grow in steep
slopes and high altitudes, with elevation ranging from 700
meters to 1800 meters such as the Cordillera Mountain
Range
Other locations are Mindoro, Northern Zambales, and
Bukidnon
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Benguet Pine (Pinus kesiya)

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Mindoro Pine (Pinus merkusii)
MOSSY FOREST
thrives in areas of high elevation, usually at mountain peaks
and with rough terrain
temperature is low, humidity is uniformly high in the form of
rain and fog
plenty of epiphytes (consisting of mosses, liverworts, ferns,
and orchids) in this forest and the trees are of medium
height and short boled
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Igem (Dacrycarpus imbricatus)

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Malakauayan (Podocarpus rumphii)

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Baladu (Medenilla sp.)
FUNCTIONS OF A FOREST

DIRECT USE VALUES
INDIRECT USE VALUES
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FORESTS as source of food, timber and
medicinal plants

Forests are a source of anything that supports human
existence.
Traditional communities depend on them for food, swidden
to grow food crops, wood for fuel and construction, and
source of medicinal plants
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Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
Table 1. Value of top ten forest-based products exported in 2008.

RANK FOREST PRODUCT VALUE IN 000 FOB
US $
PERCENT SHARE
TO TOTAL
1
Wood-Based Manufactured Articles 918,241 68.98
2
Forest-based furniture 154,574 11.61
3
Paper and articles of paper and paperboard 144,422 10.85
4
Pulp and waste paper 63,726 4.79
5
Plywood and plywood veneered panels 19,237 1.45
6
Lumber 11,602 0.87
7
Wood Charcoal whether or not
agglomerated
8,526 0.64
8
Selected Non-Timber Manufactured
Articles
7,974 0.60
9
Veneer and other wood worked 2,003 0.15
10
Non-timber forest products 881 0.07
TOTAL 1,331,186 100
Source: DENR-FMB, 2008. Philippine Forestry Statistics.
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FORESTS prevents erosion,
sedimentation and ameliorates the soil

Without sufficient tree cover, undergrowth, and litterfall,
coupled with continued precipitation, the topsoil is easily
washed off, carrying away the humus where important
elements are trapped.
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FORESTS serve as green armor: protection from
devastating impact of storm

When trees are planted close together in a triangular pattern
of strip planting, it can put up a strong deterrent against the
massive force of storms.

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FORESTS serve as green armor: protection from
devastating impact of storm

In coastal areas where mangrove forests abound, the dense
vegetation are believed to be effective sentinels against
storm surge and tsunamis.

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FORESTS ameliorate climate

The huge uptake of water by forests and the slow release of
stored water back to the atmosphere brings evenness in
rain distribution.

This release of moisture into the atmosphere could also
lower down air temperature to give humans a cool relief.

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FORESTS absorb pollutants

Forest absorbs much of the carbon and other pollutants
(heavy metals) being spread around by households or
industries.
They act as carbon storage and sinks when they are left
intact. Total carbon is stored in the trees and in the soils as
dead organic matter.
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FORESTS absorb
pollutants

Trees clean the air by removing
dust and absorbing other
pollutants such as carbon
monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and
nitrogen dioxide.

The faster the tree grows, the
faster is its ability to sequester
carbon from the environment.
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FORESTS absorb pollutants

An ERDB study found that trees take CO2 from the
atmosphere at a rate of 0.4 to 0.8 ton for every cubic
meter of growth or 14 to 17 kg of CO2 per year.

The resulting carbon is continuously locked during
the lifetime of the tree. One kg of carbon is equal to
3.67 kg of CO2; thus, one ton of dry wood produced
is equivalent to about 1.74 tons of CO2 sequestered.
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FORESTS absorb pollutants

It is also found that five fast growing tree species have an
average of 47.5% carbon content: mangium (49.37%), falcata
(48.20%), bagras (47.80%), mahogany (47.20%), and yemane
(44.73%) (ERDB, 2010)
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Yemane (Gmelina arborea)
CURRENT CONDITION OF FORESTS

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CURRENT CONDITION OF FORESTS

Every year, about 13 million hectares of forests are lost.

Recent estimates of forest cover worldwide using the
minimum parameters of tree height, crown cover, and area
size, placed the total area under four billion hectares (FAO,
2006).
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CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION

Deforestation is caused by natural or anthropogenic forces.
Natural causes include lightning, drought, landslip, and pest
and disease infestation.
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CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION

Anthropogenic causes are more frequent and are difficult to
contain. These include illegal logging, charcoal making,
kaingin-making, commercial farming in the uplands and
poaching of forest products/excessive hunting.
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ILLEGAL LOGGING

This is a phenomenon that followed after many logging concession
areas and harvesting permits have been cancelled by the government.
Workers of the logging companies who have been out of job have
conveniently gone back to the residual forest and start cutting the
residual trees that have yet to reach maturity. IMG_0287.MOV
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CHARCOAL-MAKING

Another destructive process is charcoal making, using the
young trees that have just grown a few inches bigger from
the sapling stage.
Those who find no regular source of income would be
tempted to scour the natural forest for prospective pole-
sized trees.
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KAINGIN MAKING

Clearing of forest is done through slash and burn method,
carried out by migrants in immediate need for cash or food.
Earlier clearing could be small, half a hectare or less in
extent. Perennial crops are planted at the borders to mark
the end of claimed area while the core is devoted to short-
term crops, with six months or less gestation period.

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COMMERCIAL FARMING IN THE
UPLANDS

Intended to generate more profit
This practice uses monocropping system of high yielding
variety of high-priced agronomic crops
Involves application of massive quantities of fertilizers,
pesticides, and other growth-stimulating substances

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POACHING/EXCESSIVE HUNTING

Excessive hunting of wildlife for the high-priced bushmeat.
Other wildlife are hunted for sale or for game.
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POACHING/EXCESSIVE HUNTING

Palms like anahaw, kaong, sago, betel nuts, and buri are
constantly accessed for food and small-scale industrial
uses. The same goes with bamboo and rattan, widely used
for furniture and other industrial purposes. Mushrooms,
orchids, and medicinal plants are also collected for home
use or sale.
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WHAT TO DO?
VIDEO PRESENTATION: ASSISTED NATURAL REGENERATION (FAO)

Forest regeneration in the Philippines.mp4
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