The Philippine Forestry Education Network and the Negros Oriental State University College of Agriculture Pamplona campus have embarked on a partnership program on the propagation of endemic species of forest trees.

College dean Allan Faburada said the PFEN has released an initial P150,000 to finance the gathering of wildlings from endemic forest trees in Negros Island. He said the university agreed to the partnership as it will help boost the Bachelor of Forestry course it is offering.

Forestry students will have actual orientation on the kinds of endemic forest tree species that can be found in the island, and are presently gathering the wildlings of identified endemic forest trees in the mountains of Negros Oriental.

These include banyan, pili, kalingang, almaciga, molave, ylang-ylang, pellet nut, tipolo, balele, dungon, bitanghol o bitaog, duguan, langil and buto-buto, Faburada said.

He said the project will help re-green the mountains, which is important since forest trees are now in danger of extinction because of uncontrolled illegal cutting of trees.

Around 20 thousand seedlings of endemic tree species are targeted for the first tranche of the program, he added.*MA

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