The University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) will use cutting-edge science to provide 1.5 billion tree seedlings required for the National Greening Program.
UPLB scientists have been working hard on cloning techniques and tissue culture to increase the volume of materials required by the planting of up to 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of public land over the next six years.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said 8 million hectares of forest lands remain “unproductive, open, denuded or degraded.”
If made productive, these forest lands could generate between P80 billion and P96 billion annually, he said.
The selection of local species is being fast-tracked for the massive reforestation campaign, said UPLB Chancellor Dr. Luis Rey Velasco.
Among the tree species UPLB is propagating with the use of biofertilizers are penus, dipterocarps, alnus, casuaria, acacia and eucalyptus.
Part of the program is the expanded cultivation of crops in areas to be reforested to boost efforts in providing income to upland dwellers.
Microbial fertilizers that help make seedlings resistant to infestations and more tolerant of environmental stresses will be used.
“It will solve the problem of low survival of trees,” Velasco explained.
Dr. Ramon Razal, former dean of the UPLB College of Forestry who specializes in forest product utilization, said they are looking at propagating tissue culture for fast-growing trees even as government scientists are pushing for technologies on “selection processes” to ensure that trees will be disease-resistant, taller and with wider diameters.
Tissue culture is currently being used only for some fast-growing trees like gmelina and eucalyptus, he said.
Research projects are being undertaken as well to improve indigenous Philippine species of teak, molave and narra using the best possible scientific techniques.
