Country paper for the Philippines

Only Acacia mangium and A. auriculiformis are planted. A. auriculiformis was introduced in the early 1980`s in the Luzon area for fuelwood. A. mangium has been planted in Mindanao for electricity poles and watershed rehabilitation. In Mindanao there are also many tree farms and cooperatives, the only place in the Philippines with this. An NGO project has planted 750 ha. of A. mangium with a few hundred farmers, with another 300-400 ha planted by individual farmers. In 1989/90 ADB funded contract afforestation of 13,000 ha of A. mangium. In Luzon there are 10,000 ha of A. auriculiformis spread over three regions, while in Mindanao there are about 2,000 ha contracted but it is not certain that the area has really been planted. An ADB-funded project on community-based reforestation of 170,000 ha with 120,000 in uplands and 20,000 in mangroves. Of this 80% is for plantation and 20% for agroforestry. Species are a mixture of nurse and climax species, such as narra, acacia, mahogany, including about 37,000 ha of acacias, which are usually planted for fuelwood and as nurse species. They are planted in mountatin areas for rapid protection. Some acacias are planted in Metro Manila as roadside trees and also in some colleges. Most species have little or no growth and yield data. The main source of data is from Mindanao, so the problem is estimating growth for other areas. Technical information from Dennis Garrity on Acacias in the Philippines: The species planted is mainly A. mangium in Mindanao. This is planted mixed with gmelina and constitutes 90% of current plantings in the country. A. mangium is the recommended species but it has problems. Seed germination is difficult for small farmers. It needs scarification and boiling for 15 minutes, so there farmers only obtain poor germination rates. Damping off is also a problem in Mindanao. A. mangium wood is brittle and the tree is subject to damage by strong wind in mixtures, or near gmelina. Hear rot is also a problem but there is no data. On acid soils the two species grow at the same rate in mixed plantations. On very infertile imperata sites (pH 4-4.5) mangium is more vigorous than gmelina. A. mangium and A. auriculiformis will become more important as plantation species. Consequently seed supply is becoming important. The quality of genetic material needs to be studied. A clonal propagation program could help establish nurseries in areas where plants are needed such as at village level.