08 October 2016, Siniloan, Laguna. Following the announcement of the passing of the late Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, FEED’s President Ophelia Bakker-Mananquil requested the planting of 200 of the 300 seedlings to honour her service to nation by means of a Living Legacy, at Siniloan, Laguna.
The planting took place on the 8th of October, and was carried out by the first complete FEED family to plant under the Student & Volunteers of the Environment (SAVE) program established by FEED, at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in the Laguna-Quezon Land Grant site in Siniloan, Laguna.
Thank you to Nikki Middleditch-Evangelista, husband David Middleditch and son Ollie for helping FEED & UPLB’s 10 foresters restore part of the Sierra Madres mountain range with the other 100 red Lauan* trees. These were planted for family and friends of FEED, namely:
- Josie Romero, Living Legacy Patron (Tarlac City, Tarlac)
- Teresita Morato-Lazatin, FEED Advisor (Quezon City, NCR)
- Manuel M. Morato, Living Legacy Patron (Quezon City, NCR)
- Annunciation Datu, RIP (Tarlac City, Tarlac)
- Salud Agua Mallari, RIP (Tarlac City, Tarlac)
- Ramon A. Pastor (Batangas, Laguna) – RIP
- Anne-Marie Mananquil Bakker, 41st Birthday (San Fernando, La Union)
*Red Lauan Tree ~ Scientific Name: Shorea negrosensis
Red Lauan Tree
Red lauan is a large tree attaining a height of about 50 meters and a diameter of about 200 centimeters. It is strongly buttressed and with straight-cylindrical bole.
Its leaves are alternate, smooth, dark green above, hairy along nerves beneath, and oblong in shape.The bark is dark brown to nearly black with reddish tinge. It is ridged with shallow furrows that are more prominent on the upper part of the trunk. The inner bark is dull tan or reddish and stringy in texture.
The species can found inLuzon (Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Bulacan, Laguna, Quezon, Camarines, Albay, Sorsogon), Polillo, Sibuyan, Samar, Negros, Cebu, Biliran, Leyte, Bucas Grande, and Mindanao (Surigao, Agusan, Misamis, Davao). It is also found in primary and secondary forests at low altitudes.
It can be propagated by seeds and by vegetative means (clones).
The trunk is used for furniture and cabinet-making, veneer and plywood, pulp and paper-making, particleboard manufacture, sash and mill work, boat planking and decking, and general building construction. Red lauan is a valuable export as sawn timber. The bark is considered to have great potential for use as building board.
S. negrosensis yields a pulp with high overall strength properties. The timber is commonly used as a compression member in timber-framed structures. The bark is a suitable source of tannin extract.
The tree is important in protecting watershed areas and potential in reforestation and agro-forestry, and provides wood used in making fencing material.
It is reported that the wood extractives are timber-inhibiting.”
Direct Quote Source: http://rafi.org.ph/greenin-philippines/green-almanac/red-lauan/
About Miriam Defensor-Santiago: Analysis by Rico Hizon, BBC News
“Known as the Iron Lady of Filipino politics, Santiago was a feisty senator who took bold stands on major issues like corruption and defence agreements. She will also be widely known for never backing down from a good fight.
She was both known and feared for her quick wit and her even quicker tongue in court and at rallies.
In my days starting out as a reporter in the Philippines, I remember she was always accommodating. She would joke gamely with the Philippine media.
Her trademark frank and fearless style often came across in interviews.”
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37503145
From all of us at FEED, the Honorable Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s Living Legacy lives on forever. We honour all those before and and after you continue to stand up for peace, liberty and justice for all.
Post-Planting Propagation of Seeds
After the planting, the FEED and UPLB foresters and Middleditch family trekked through the thick forest folliage to appreciate the fresh air prior to lunching al fresco by the cool lake breeze. Along the way, they harvested the fallen Batikuling (Litsea leytensis) seedings for propagation at the UPLB nursery, charged with ensuring the continued seeding development for the Sierra Madre land grant. Batikuling is a Philippine timber tree having hard red fragrant wood, which aside from flooring is “typically also used as a material for carving, sculpture, and pattern making, especially religious icons here in Paeta…”, according the UPLB Forester and LQLG Field Manager Rey Lorida.
With around only 23% remaining in forest cover in the Philippines, the country suffers from massive losses in ecosystem services, a.o. biodiversity, carbon capture and sequestration, local communities’ in ability to harvest timber and non-timber products and watershed protection – in turn intensifying various ‘natural disasters’, such as flash floods and landslides, bee populations in turmoil and coral pollution.
FEED’s focus therefore expands from Ridge to Reef, in a holistic approach to ecosystem management working in partnership with other stakeholders willing to pioneer innovation approaches to integrated land and water resources management practices.
About FEED’s Living Legacy Program
Due to the rapidly declining forest cover in the Philippines since the 1400’s (see charts), FEED invites advisors, family, friends, loved ones and partners of FEED to help converge our efforts towards enhancing biodiversity, restoring forests an achieving sustainability for all.
For more information, email info@feed.org.ph or call +63 (0)917 552 4722.
© FEED, Inc.