RACE AGAINST TIME

A few years back, this Balobo tree stump used to be a tree that I visited so that I can collect seeds for propagation. When I passed by the same tree months ago, it was already cut down. It was evident that the lumber was going to be used as a construction material, since a house was being constructed or repaired.

Now, one majestic native tree is also going to be cut down and according to the owner, the wood is going to be used to replace the old door jambs of their house. I said to the owner, "Sana wag n'yo na lang ipaputol yung puno, kahit yung sanga na lang sana" please don't cut the tree, instead just cut it's brances so that the tree may live. She told me that the branch is of no use since it is soft and that the best lumber is the heartwood of the tree, because it is the hardest and most durable part.......... I will still try to persuade the owners not to cut the tree down.

Everywhere you go in the Philippines, trees are just being cut down. Whether coconut trees for coco lumber, mature trees or even young trees are felled to be used for commercial lumber, for private use, as charcoal or even just to clear a property. Most felled trees are not replaced with new seedlings. When every tree has been cut down, where will we get the basic things that we need?

Trees give us oxygen, shade from the scorching sun, nutrients for the soil, fruits and leaves to eat, shelter for birds and other living organisms, flowers to make perfumes and essential oils, natural purification for ground water, ingredients to make medicine, raw materials to make rubber, fiber to make baskets and twine and most especially wood to be used for construction purposes. The list goes on and on and still these resources are not being used to the fullest of their potential. When will we see what the trees real worth is, when they are endangered and extinct?