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Pursuant to P.D. No. 705, as amended, E.O. No. 192, and in order to sustainably manage and develop the country's forest resources towards the rational utilization of resources to achieve economic growth and to protect the forest from destruction by man and/or natural destructive agents, the following rules and regulations are hereby promulgated regarding sanitation cutting in pest-infested forests.

SECTION 1.      Objectives

a)   To prevent further spread and damage of the pest(s) to/on the greater part of unaffected natural forest or forest plantation when other control methods are not feasible or available;

b)   To maximize benefits from natural forests and forest plantations through a rational utilization of infested trees; and

c)   To sustain the healthy condition of the forest ecosystem.

SECTION 2.      Definition of Terms - For the purpose of this Order, the following terms are accordingly defined:

a)      Bark beetles — Insects belonging to the family Scolytidae; small beetles that cause considerable damage to trees by tunneling between the bark and the wood.

b)      Infested trees — Trees that are attacked and infested by either bark beetles, woodborers and/or root rotting fungi, or any other organisms that are potential pests capable of spreading the infestation/infection to other trees and/or larger areas.

c)      Pests — Bark beetles, wood borers and root rotting fungi causing biophysical and economic damage to trees.

d)      RFPSM — The Regional Forest Pest Surveillance and Monitoring Team that was trained on forest entomology, forest pathology, forest pest management and quarantine procedures by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB).

e)      Root rot fungi — Root inhabiting fungi characterized by an expanding parasitic phase on the living host plant and by declining saprophytic phase after its death.

f)       Sanitation cutting — A direct control measure, which involves the rapid removal of all infested trees containing the brood or attacking adults or disease inoculum from an infested area to reduce the source of infestation/infection and prevent further build up and spread of pests at the fastest possible time to minimize the economic and ecological impact/damage on the natural stand/plantation.

g)      Wood borers — Insects belonging to the family Platypodidae; small beetles that do considerable damage to trees by tunneling through the wood.

SECTION 3.      Scope and Coverage - Sanitation cutting shall be undertaken in forest areas, whether natural or plantation, infested with bark beetles and in limited scale with wood borers, Phellinus root rot fungus, and other related organisms.

It shall be allowed in areas such as, but not limited to, Benguet pine forests, dipterocarp forests, mangrove forests, plantation forest, protected areas and in park/roadside areas where infestation have been observed/detected.

SECTION 4.      Factors to Consider Before Conducting Sanitation Cutting - The ultimate objective of sanitation cutting is to stop and prevent further development/spread of pest infestation. The following factors must be strictly met in order that an infested/infected forest area is considered qualified for sanitation cutting:

a)      The danger/risk/potential of the infestation spreading into the more valuable portions of the forest;

b)      The potential area of the forest cover to be affected/destroyed and its relation to the protection of the area, e.g. watershed;

c)      The possible production/creation of fire hazards; and

d)      The value and merchantability of the trees that will be cut. This is necessary to at least recover the minimum expenses incurred in the sanitation cutting operation.

SECTION 5.      Procedure for the Processing and Approval of Sanitation Cutting Permit

a)      For privately owned forest plantations, sanitation cutting permit is not required. The owner shall inform the nearest CENR Office and/or PENR Office about the infestation where sanitation cutting should be done. Such information shall be transmitted to ERDB.

b)      Timber License Agreement (TLA), Industrial Forest Management Agreement (IFMA) and Socialized Industrial Forest Management Agreement (SIFMA) Holders, etc.

1.      Submit request for sanitation cutting permit to the RED through the respective CENR Office and/or PENR Office. Request for sanitation cutting permit should be submitted as soon as possible after the first detection of the infestation.

2.      An assessment/appraisal team(s) that shall conduct the appraisal of the infestation shall be organized by the ERDB upon the request of the Regional Executive Director (RED). The team(s) shall be composed of the following:

a)         Representatives from ERDB (as Team Leader and one member)
b)         One (1) representative from RFPSM
c)         One (1) representative each from the CENR Office and from the PENR Office, which has jurisdiction over the area.
d)         Representative from the tree plantation owner or from the lease agreement holder.

3.      The assessment report shall be submitted to the RED within seven (7) days after completion of the assessment, copy furnished the Director of ERDB and FMB. Such report shall be forwarded to the Secretary, at the soonest possible time.

The report shall include, among others, the following:

a)         Area coverage of infestation.
b)         Number and volume of infested trees to be cut and utilized
c)         Map of the area
d)         Recommendations
e)         Operational plans, etc.

4.      Based on the recommendation of the assessment team, the Assistant Regional Executive Director (ARED) for Technical Services shall process and prepare the necessary document including an Operational Plan, which shall be prepared jointly by the applicant and the Assessment Team before the granting of the permit. Such document shall be forwarded to the RED for approval of the permit if the area covered is 50 hectares and below or to the Secretary for his approval if the area covered is more than 50 hectares.

c)    For natural forests not under a lease agreement or tree plantations under government administration, the same process/procedures shall be followed. The Natural Resources Development Corporation (NRDC) will be the implementor of the sanitation cutting.

d)    For natural forests inside protected areas, request for a sanitation cutting permit should be submitted to the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) through the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu). Actual sanitation cutting activities shall be in accordance with the foregoing procedures stated in Section 6 of this guideline.

SECTION 6.      Procedures in Implementing Sanitation Cutting

a)      Delineate the actual forest area infested.

b)      Mark all infested trees to be cut. Trees with no economic value and have long been infested should not be cut to preserve the source of the pest's natural enemies, e.g. parasites and predators, which could help in controlling the remaining population of the pest.

c)      In case of bark beetle infestation, completely remove the bark of felled trees immediately after cutting and destroy the bark immediately by burning or by other environmentally safe methods.

In case of root fungus, completely remove the underground parts to avoid the spread of the disease through root grafts. Immediately burn the infested roots and make trenches around the infected area(s), while at the same time flooding the trenches with fungicide solution. If the causal agent is Phellinus noxious use biological control agent, e.g. Trichoderma viridae-water solution.

d)      After about a month, the whole area should be assessed again to ensure that no infested trees remain in the area.

e)      If infestation reoccurs, conduct mopping-up operation by repeating steps a to d.

SECTION 7.      Disposal of Felled Trees

a)      Felled trees that are beyond economic recovery shall be "control burned" in situ, with ample provision of preventing such fires from damaging nearby trees.

b)      Felled trees that are still usable could be immediately shipped to the sawmill, after debarking.

c)      Diseased or infested parts, trimmings, and other wood wastes, removed during the sawmilling operation should be burned immediately.

The removal, utilization and transport of recovered logs from the natural forest and tree plantation shall require the necessary transport permits and other requirements imposed under DENR forestry regulations.

SECTION 8.      Activation of Regional Forest Pests Surveillance and Monitoring Teams - All Regional Forest Pests Surveillance and Monitoring (RFPSM) Teams of the DENR should be reconstituted. Pest surveillance and monitoring of forest pests should be considered a regular activity of the RFPSM. The team shall monitor the sanitation cutting activity in the area. Their respective Regional Offices shall provide all the necessary logistics needed by the Teams.

SECTION 9.      Application Fees - Except for privately owned forest tree plantations, an application fee of Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) shall be deposited to the CENR Office and PENR Office by the applicant for the sanitation cutting permit.

SECTION 10.    Government Share in the Trees Cut and Utilized - The share for the net income or proceeds from sanitation cutting activities undertaken by NRDC shall be distributed as follows:

NRDC	-	Fifty percent (50%)	MOWEL	-	Ten percent (10%)
CENR Office	-	Twenty percent (20%)	Regional Office	-	Five percent (5%)
PENR Office	-	Fifteen percent (15%)		-

SECTION 11.    Repealing Clause - Any orders, circulars and memoranda inconsistent hereof are hereby revoked.

SECTION 12.    Effectivity - This order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the Official Gazette and/or any newspaper of general circulation.

Adopted: 21 June 2000

(SGD.) ANTONIO H. CERILLES
Secretary