The nursery sector and the paradigm shift towards entreprenuerial forestry

This planning and implementation workshop of ACIAR-funded project ASEM/2006/091 ‘Tree Seedling Supply via Economic and Policy Changes in the Philippine Nursery Sector’ is very timely in view of developments in the wood supply situation and watershed restoration efforts in the Philippines. In this paper, changing priorities in Philippine forestry are examined, and it is concluded that government spending in the form of projects and other greening initiatives should retire from the attitude of mere institutional compliance but instead look towards planted trees as a resource or product of investment. It is therefore necessary to put more science into tree planting activity to improve the chance of recovering the financial investment and ensuring that a comfortable profit margin can be attained in growing trees. Investors, be they smallholders, big landowners or corporations are virtually casting their money on the productive potential of the seedlings they use. This makes the focus in developing high quality planting materials in tree nurseries critically important.