More on the log ban

2011 is the International Year of Forests. Foresters the world over should be rejoicing that the global community is recognizing the importance of the world’s forests and what they can give us, but the Philippine professional foresters are united in their stand against the total log ban (25 years in the Senate Bill proposed by Sen. Loren Legarda in SB 1360 and 35 years in SB 2172 as proposed by Sen. Miguel Zubiri).

The Society of Filipino Foresters Inc. (SFFI) composed of over 10,000 professional foresters who were academically trained to manage the country’s forests which include the plants, animals and water sheds found in the forests are unequivocally opposed to a total log ban. It goes without saying that, for economic reasons, the Philippine Wood Producers Association (PWPA) has likewise registered their strong opposition to the bill imposing a total log ban on all natural forests in the country.

Like all issues, there are two sides to this controversy, and though I am by no means an authority on whichever side there is to this issue, I find that as an ordinary citizen, we should find the time to understand all the possible implications of any bill that can impact the nation as a whole.

I fully appreciate the environmental concerns of Senators Legarda and Zubiri. Time and again, the lady Senator has warned the nation to brace and prepare for the catastrophic effects of climate change, and it is safe to say that we are seeing the onset of these cataclysmic changes, more glaringly in these last two years. In Australia, the traditional summer months have brought on torrential rains, wreaking havoc on their wheat production and flooding entire cities that were not even prone to flooding. In Canada, wheat stalks were frosted over, effectively destroying or at least stunting them, while in Russia, the Parliament acted swiftly to protect their food supply by banning all wheat exports. Of course, the killer flash floods of Brazil were given ample media coverage in print and by CNN.

Here at home, we have been plagued by torrential rains and catastrophic landslides that have buried entire towns. I don’t know if landslides can be blamed on climate change as they have been around even before talk on climate change started, but I agree that they are devastating. Our environmentalists have zeroed in on floods and landslides as their primary concerns in proposing a total log ban in the country.

The SFFI says that the terrible floods and killer landslides that we experienced in recent history are indeed the consequences of climate change which has manifested itself in excessive rainfall. They explain that after unnaturally prolonged and excessive rain, the forest soil becomes saturated with water and can no longer absorb the excess water. This excess water runs off the soil surface and accumulates as flood water.

Historically, the nation cannot forget the Ormoc floods of 1990 and the landslides and floods in Quezon and Aurora in 2004. The foresters claim that professional assessments of these tragedies pointed to the geomorphology of the areas, and of course the excessive rainfall which was clearly beyond the threshold limit.

Deforestation has been tagged as the main culprit in these floods and landslides, but according to Mr. Ricardo Umali, former DENR Secretary, and Mr. Renato de Rueda, president of the Society of Filipino Foresters Inc., commercial logging is not the cause of deforestation which they say is the conversion of forests to other land uses. Logging’s contribution to forest denudation is only about five to 10 percent.

At the moment, Mr. Umali says, 95 percent of the country’s forests are already under log ban. There are only 400,000 hectares left under the responsibility of the legal loggers, represented by the Philippine Wood Producers Association (PWPA) which, according to the association’s president Antonio Olizon, represents only about two percent of the country’s classified forest lands. He adds that their members have been caring for, nurturing and protecting the forests under their care. Proof of this is the fact that for generations now, these same parties have been in the wood business, and their supply has not dwindled over the generations. He says that it is only logical that their members strictly follow scientific and effective forest management because it is in everyone’s interest to have a “perpetual forest.” Most of the members of the association have processing plants which cost a fortune to put up, so they make sure that they have a perpetual source of materials for these plants.

The total log ban seeks to cover all the natural forests in the land which includes all protected and production forests. It also provides for the creation of a task force on anti-illegal logging and provisions to enhance plantations. With the total log ban, the 400,000 hectares which have been subject to scientific logging will henceforth have open access to everyone because the commercial/legal loggers will be forced to give them up. In such a scenario, the open access will provide a haven for illegal loggers which can include the big time loggers, the community, or the poor families who depend on the forest for a living. Mr. Umali, himself a member of SFFI, says that legal loggers practice selective logging where only mature or over-mature trees, from eight to 14 trees at a time or three percent of a concession, are cut down in the interest of proper forest management. He adds that the investors stand to lose about P30 billion/year with the total log ban.

With the total log ban, no new cutting permits will be issued, and all current contracts will be evaluated, with errant companies facing cancellation if warranted. The implementing rules for the task force have not been issued, and the SFFI hopes that they will be consulted when the rules are finally crafted.

All the stakeholders in this issue are one in saying that it is illegal logging that the government must address and curtail and not the legal loggers who have been managing the forests effectively over the years. But how can we police the forest lands when the ratio of forest guards employed by the DENR is one guard for every 4,000 hectares? It’s like asking a toothless man to devour a plateful of steak.

The SFFI has been pushing for the Bill on Sustainable Forest Eco-System Management because we already have a protected area system for bio-diversity purposes; we have our water sheds to protect; and we need to sustain the production forest area for the country’s industrial needs. Even fuel wood figures in here. Did you know that at least 40 million cubic meters are needed to answer the country’s fuel wood needs?

By all means, let’s bring out the debates to get to the bottom of this issue. And of course, let the government use all of its resources to fight illegal logging. –Ray Butch Gamboa (The Philippine Star)

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino. For comments: (email) businessleisure-star@stv.com.ph