Domestication Performance of Indigenous Trees: A Decade of Rainforestation Experience in Degraded Karst Lands

Abstract

This study tested the domestication potential of 43 indigenous timber species in 1.2-ha degraded karst land. Survival, height and diameter growth performance and site factors were periodically monitored. Results showed twenty-eight indigenous forest timber species thriving in an open karst area including 8 dipterocarps: narig, mayapis, white lauan, bagtikan, guisok-guisok, kalunti or manggasinoro, red lauan and yakal-kaliot. The non-dipterocarps include bitanghol & kalingag. Species with 100% survival were aniam gubat, bayokbok, ipil, kalumpit, lamog, puso-puso, sagimsim and taluto. White lauan had a survival of 96% and molave had 92%. Kalumpit had the highest increment both in height and diameter. Kalumpit was followed by dao, duguan, milipili. Among the dipterocarps, white lauan got the highest diameter and height growth increment. Narig, with its waxy leaf surface of all the dipterocarps, was tolerant under full solar exposure. Domestication farms should include or integrate fruit trees, vegetable trees (like bago or Gnetum gnemon) and other economic plants. Domestication trials of barit, anislag, sudiang, other dipterocarps, bago, nito, sig-id, rattan and other sources of raw materials for handicrafts should also be tried.