TREE CLONING TO ENHANCE DEVELOPMENT OF
FORESTS
by Antonio C. Antonio
May 24, 2014
The Ecological Principle of “Development” is
the unfolding of life, manifesting as development and learning at the
individual level and as evolution at the species level. It is the interplay of creativity and mutual
adaptation in which organisms and environment co-evolve and co-exist.
INTRODUCTION:
The stages of development of a forest start from
being a simple pioneering plant community to an old growth forest. However, the actual timeline for these stages
vary depending on numerous factors. The
assumption for the time involved in the completion of this cycle is no less
than a century. Sadly, in the lifetime
and finite existence of man, he will never get to see this transformation. Considering the long process in the evolution
of forests, there has to be a better way to enhance its growth and development
with the help of science and modern technology.
The most common intervention practice in
forest management is Silviculture which is the practice of controlling the
establishment, growth, composition, health and quality of forests to meet the
needs of man. The most common
silvicultural practices are:
1.
Release
Treatment (weeding, cleaning and liberation cutting);
2.
Thinning
(low, crown, selection, mechanical and free thinning); and,
3.
Pruning.
Another term for this is TSI (Timber Stand Improvement). While these practices contribute to the
overall health of the forest, they do not contribute to the expected growth of
the forest based on our specific need to expand forests beyond the satisfaction
of the need and demand for forest products.
There has to be a better way to propagate more biomass in the forest
beyond the simple motions of seed germination, seedlings nursing, planting,
rearing, etc.
This brings in the possibility of tree
cloning as an alternative course of action in reforestation and sustainable
development and management of the forest.
Forests represent a critical life support system in human survival. Aside from their provision of materials for
infrastructure and aesthetic value, they (more importantly) provide oxygen and
sequester carbons. The importance of
trees and forests cannot be underestimated.
This is also the reason why I chose this topic.
OBJECTIVES:
A tree clone is a genetic copy of the
original tree. It presupposes that good
quality and superior trees produce genetic duplicates that will grow and
perform like the original trees when planted in a similar environment. More often, seedlings producers using the
traditional method of seedlings production using actual seeds, just go through
the motions of mass production without any concern for the quality and
survivability of the seedlings. They oftentimes
mix, in unpredictable proportions, substandard with quality ones. Clone plantations replicate and duplicate the
better qualities of the tree and produce duplicates of the original tree…
therefore, controlling the quality of the seedlings for planting.
Clone seedlings from quality mother trees
grow taller, have bigger diameter, have more biomass and would therefore yield
bigger volume per hectare than the usual seedlings produced by ordinary nurseries. Cloned trees also grow relatively faster that
the time involved to attain the desired diameter sizes of harvestable trees has
been reduced from 10 to 12 years to 2 to 3 years.
The purpose and objective of tree cloning is
the propagation of genetically superior trees which will:
1.
Increase
our reforestation capabilities exponentially;
2.
Improve the
quality and value of our forest and timber products;
3.
Increase
the income of tree farmers and growers;
4.
Help meet
the high demand for wood products for our local market;
5.
Export of
quality timber that would increase our dollar-earning capability;
6.
Contribute
to the speedy renewal and recovery of our forests;
7.
Provide quality
air for everyone;
8.
Preserve
and propagate threatened tree species from extinction; and,
9.
Enhance the
carbon sequestration capability of Philippine forests.
MATERIALS AND METHOD:
The process of tree cloning comes in several
stages:
1.
Extensive
identification of superior trees in private plantations, reforestation areas,
old growth forest areas and natural forest areas;
2.
The
selection process results in the marking and inventory of mother trees;
3.
Vegetative
materials (parts of the tree) in cloning are then collected from these mother
trees; The first rounds of clones go
through a process of rejuvenation where certain protocols (which entities
involved in tree cloning failed to mention for trade secret purposes, I
suppose) are followed and observed;
These cuttings are also sterilized and treated with rooting hormones
before these are grown in trays sealed in plastic bags or under a tent; The cloned twigs are then planted, cared for
and managed as clonal hedges; The “wildings” are then pampered at the clonal
nursery to produce robust stems that are harvested and, in turn, undergo
maintenance care to grow roots lasting up to 5 months with the help of
root-growing hormones before they are actually planted; and,
4.
From these
clonal hedges of superior trees, more clones can be produced for both large and
small-scale plantations.
My short documentary research brought me to
some rather very interesting botanical “terms.”
I discovered that trees born out of germinated seeds are called
“sexually” propagated trees while cloned trees are called “asexually”
propagated trees. And the mature stage
of a tree is called a “climax” stage.
Quite interesting, isn’t it?
RESULTS:
(On the home front, please allow me to add
that my wife has been practicing some degree of cloning orchids for sometime
now… a practice she calls grafting. She
has succeeded in propagating orchids and saved us money… as orchids are quite
expensive. Now that I know a little bit
more about cloning, I would venture to say that what she has been doing also
has a significant relation to cloning. I
have observed that she would cut orchid roots from a particular orchid, peel
the stem of another orchid and then paste/attach/bind the root to this
orchid. In time, the root will develop
its own stems, roots and leaves. This
new orchid will then be transferred to another vase.)
The species of trees presently being cloned
with a high degree of success are: Paraserianthes falcataria (Falcata); Gmelina
arborea (Gmelina); Acacia mangium (Mangium); and, Eucalyptus deglupta (Bagras). These are principally soft wood species and
there is also a different reason for cloning dipterocarps (tropical hardwood
trees). Dipterocarps (like guijo,
gisok-gisok, palosapis, dagang and white and red lauan) start flowering and
fruiting on their 15th to 20th year. Cloning therefore could be a technique to
extract parts of the tree even before they reach their productive stage when
they start bearing flowers. Indigenous
trees such as yakal, kamagong, mayapis, molave, tindalo, toog and teak bear
fruit only every 7 to 10 years. It has
also been noted that the survival rate of cloned trees is a high 60%.
While is seems that the cost to clone trees
and grow them to maturity is higher than using seed nursery-produced seedlings,
there still remains two qualifying reasons to continue cloning… (1) the shorter
growing time of cloned trees and (2) the importance of producing/growing
quality trees.
Comparing the relative cost and benefit of cloned
trees vis-à-vis seed-produced trees… the relevant questions now would be:
1.
What is the
future of tree cloning as an alternative to seed-produced trees in the context
of applying this to sustainable forest management?
2.
Can the
cost to produce tree clones be brought down even further?
3.
Can cloned
trees augment the deficit in seedling production and planting with reference to
the number of trees being harvested?
The answer to these questions could be
summarized in the number and increasing number of private, government and
school entities (and other such organizations that I might not mention) which
have joined the tree cloning bandwagon.
A futureless endeavor like this will never attract believers if the
prospects are not at all promising. The
following is a list of private and government entities and schools which have
been practicing tree cloning:
·
Claveria
Tree Nursery, Inc. in Claveria, Misamis Oriental
·
Provident
Tree Farm, Inc. in Agusan del Sur
·
DENR
Cloning Facility in Arayat, Pampanga
·
DENR
Cloning Facility in Laguna
·
Benguet
State University in La Trinidad, Benguet
·
Mountain
Province State Polytechnic College in Bauko, Mt. Province
·
Ifugao
State College of Agriculture and Forestry in Lamut, Ifugao
·
Don Mariano
Marcos Memorial State University in Bacnotan, La Union
·
Nueva
Viscaya State University in Bayombong, Nueva Viscaya
·
University
of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna
·
Southern
Luzon Polytechnic College in Lucban, Quezon
·
Occidental
Mindoro National College in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro
·
West
Visayan State University in La Paz, Iloilo City
·
Negros
State College of Agriculture in Kabangkalan, Negros Occidental
·
Biliran
National Agriculture College in Biliran, Biliran
·
Samar State
College of Agriculture and Forestry in San Jorge, Samar
·
Leyte State
University in Baybay, Leyte
·
Western
Mindanao State University in Zamboanga del Sur
·
Central
Mindanao University in Musuan, Bukidnon
·
University
of the Philippines in Davao City
·
Mindanao
State University in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur
·
Apayao
State College in Conner, Apayao
·
Kalinga-Apayao
State College in Tabuk, Kalinga
·
Mariano
Marcos State University in Batac City, Ilocos Norte
·
Isabela
State University in Cabangan, Isabela
·
Ramon
Magsaysay Technological University in Iba, Zambales
·
Western
Philippines University in Aborlan, Palawan
·
Bicol
University in Guinobatan, Albay
·
Negros
Oriental State University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
·
Bohol
Island State University in Bilar, Bohol
·
University
of Eastern Philippines in Catarman, Samar
·
Pampanga
Agricultural College in Magalang, Pampanga
·
Caraga
State University in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte
Just my little thoughts…
REFERENCES:
·
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/AC781E/AC781E06.htm
·
http://fraservalleybaldeaglefestival.ca/eagleeye/principles_of_ecology.html
·
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silviculture
·
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seral_stages_4.JPG
·
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/forestbiology/htmltext/chapter9new.htm
·
http://claveriatreenurseryinc.blogspot.com/
·
http://www.joe.org/joe/2009october/rb6.php
·
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/266668/denr-tries-cloning-of-forest-trees
·
http://www.gov.ph/2012/04/29/denr-to-tap-17-more-schools-to-clone-native-trees-for-national-greening-program/
·
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/ecological-principles
thank you for sharing your ideas sir....it can help me a lot.
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