Helsinki – A Finnish forestry expert who stayed for nine years in the Philippines said politics “killed” the forestry program designed 40 years ago which could have made the country a world super power in agro-forestry.
Mike Juvelrius, one of the three forestry experts from Finland, engaged by the International Labor Organization in 1976 on how to establish a sustainable agro-forestry program which would provide additional jobs in the country, said the recommendations made by the team were sidelined because of politicians who were involved in large-scale logging operations at the time.
“While we were preparing the plan to save the forests to provide jobs for people, the big Japanese “Maru” vessels were docked in the ports of the Philippines loading the best hardwood taken from the forests,” Juvelrius said.
Juvelrius and another veteran forester, Klaus Virtanen, who also stayed in the Philippines for three years especially in Mindanao, took the delegation from the Dept. of Agriculture and Fisheries on a tour of the forest farms in the outskirts of Helsinki on Saturday.
The two veteran foresters said that a well-managed family-based tree-farming program would not only provide rural employment but also contribute greatly to the national economic growth.
Citing the example of Finland, which is considered as the Number 1 country in the world in forest management and tree farming, Virtanen said the forestry sector contributes 20% to the gross domestic product of the country.
Of the 35-million hectares of Finnish territory, about 80% is covered by forests, 60% of which is owned by tree farmers while the rest is under the control of the government.
“It is not too late yet for the Philippines. What you have right now is the same situation that Finland was in 160 years ago when we also destroyed our forests,” said Virtanen.
He said it took Finland about 80 years before the forests were able to recover and tree farmers are now planting trees in an estimated 90,000 hectares every year.
“The trees that we are harvesting now were planted by our grandfathers 60 or 80 years ago. That’s how long it takes to grow trees to harvestable size in Finland,” he said.
“You are very lucky in the Philippines because you have very good climate and soil and the trees grow fast. You even have tree species which could be harvested in 5 years,” he added.
Juvelrius said President Duterte could change the fate of Philippine forests by implementing a family-based agro-forestry program which would allow farmers to harvest the planted trees,” Juvelrius said.
The two forestry experts said they are willing to go back again to the Philippines under the Duterte administration to help the country achieve the status as one of the Forestry Super Powers in the world.
(Video of interview with Mike Juvelrius taken by Ferdinand Piñol)
https://fb.watch/aL8cYCt1Ud/
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