Reforming Tree Regulation and Associated Policies in Leyte, The Philippines

Filipino tree farmers are required by law to register their planted trees in order obtain harvest and transport approvals and thus allow them to sell timber. However, survey evidence reveals that only a small proportion of tree farmers register their trees. Also, while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) encourages tree registration at the time of planting, in most cases when trees are registered this only occurs soon before harvesting. The current tree registration system appears to discourage smallholder timber production, with Leyte smallholders mostly growing timber for on-farm use, or receiving lower prices because they sell timber locally without registration, or being captive to timber merchants who carry out the registration procedures for them but pay low log prices. The DENR lacks of tree inventory information for planning purposes. One of the research objectives of ACIAR Research Project ASEM/2003/052 is to examine the potential for reform of policies for tree registration and harvest and transport approval on Leyte Island in the Philippines. The project has identified a number of constraints on tree registration, including lack of knowledge about the regulations by farmers and even government agencies, complexity of the regulations and charges which are sometimes imposed to cover the costs of DENR field staff in carrying out plot inventories. There are large differences in the registration rate between Community Environment and Natural Resource Office districts, and a study of differences in implementation arrangements between CENRO districts provides insights into measures to increase compliance. A critical assessment is required of the role of tree registration and associated regulations in designing policy reforms. In particular, streamlined tree registration procedures potentially offer smallholders the opportunity to obtain higher returns for their timber.