Copies of ‘Forest Restoration’ are turned over to the DENR through Sec. Ramon Paje. EDC is represented by Ricky Carandang (right), head of the Corporate Affairs Group, and Atty. Allan Barcena, head of the Watershed DepartmentEnergy Development Corporation (EDC), in a move to reeducate farmers and forest development rangers of its host communities to veer away from the one-size-fits-all type of reforestation, shared its experience in forest management by producing three volumes of “A Field Manual on Forest Restoration Using Indigenous Species.”

The manual aims to promote a science-based method to reforestation that goes beyond just planting of trees. It introduces site-species matching and planting strategies that mimic the natural ecological processes of tropical rainforest ecosystems. It considers the varying degrees of degradation among the three most common areas for restoration in the country—grasslands, brushlands and forest gaps, including the different forest formation types.

“With EDC’s years of experience in restoring the watershed in their geothermal reservations, I am positive that this manual is not only relevant but also timely in the light of growing initiatives in forest restoration like the National Greening Program (NGP),” Sec. Ramon Paje said during the turnover of the manual to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in June.

EDC’s Binhi program is part of the NGP under a memorandum of agreement between the DENR and EDC in 2011. Binhi aims to reforest 10,000 hectares of degraded forest lands within its geothermal reservations and frontier areas.

“A Field Manual on Forest Restoration Using Indigenous Species” is a collaboration between EDC and Visayas State University, the pioneer institution in forest restoration and rainforestation. The manual was reviewed by the technical working group of the DENR-Forest Management Bureau. (Story/Photos by: Toni Nieva)