Martin R. Reyes

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Forester Martin R. Reyes is the acknowledged “Father of Philippine Selective Logging.” His relentless effort to implement the system through the enactment of relevant forest regulations and the conception and implementation of pertinent back-up researches to attain sustained-yield production of goods and services from our forests could have earned him this title.

Forester Reyes was born in Pinili, Ilocos Norte in northern Philippines on November 8, 1914.

Writing in the April 2005 issue of the Makiling Echo, the official newsletter of the University of the Philippines College of Forestry and Natural Resources Alumni, editor-in-chief Manolito U. Sy stated that Forester Reyes strongly advocated selective logging as the appropriate system for dipterocarp forest owing to the forest’s multi-storeyed and uneven-aged structure dominated by the dipterocarpaceae family of trees, including the world famous Philippine Mahogany—a group of dipterocarps consisting of: tanguile, lauan, bagtikan, white lauan, almon, and mayapis. Most of his publications concentrated on the management and conservation of the Philippine natural forests often focusing on dipterocarp forest, the largest and hitherto considered most important type of forest in the country.

Forester Reyes’ thoughts most often converged on the wise utilization and perpetuation of the dipterocarp forest, underscoring selective logging as the harvesting scheme in accord with conservation for environmental and ecological requirements. As Forester Reyes puts it, “I firmly believe in the soundness and practicability of selective logging for the conservation and wise use of the dipterocarp forest if we (foresters and concessionaires) make it work. When you have such a forest of varying size-age classes in such proportion that harvesting mature trees gives way to the more numerous younger trees and large number of seedlings, it’s not wise to clear-cut it and resort to the more expensive planting. Selective logging, in the forestry sense, not in the irresponsible logger’s sense, is leaving undamaged a sufficient number of young, vigorous, well-formed trees of commercial species in the process of extraction of the mature, bigger trees.” He had constantly admonished everyone concerned that “to make Philippine forest conservation a success, three simple things—selective logging, reforestation, and protection—can be and must be done.”

For his relentless efforts to save the forests and renew the environment, Forester Reyes was given numerous recognitions. Foremost was the Gold Tree Medal Award given him during the First Forestry Congress held in October 1978 for being an eminent scientist, administrator, and father of “selective logging.” Other recognition for the same feats followed: the Likas Yaman Award was conferred him first by the Ministry of Natural Resources (1985) and then later (1988) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); the Merit Award by the Philippine Wood Producers Association (1986); the Forestry Achievement Award by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association; the Upsilon Sigma Phi Diamond Jubilee Luminary (Forestry) Award (1995); the Outstanding Professional Award (Forestry) by the Professional Regulation Commission (1998); and the Golden Harvest (Molave) Award by the University of the Philippines Zeta Beta Rho Honor Fraternity (1999). From his co-alumni at the University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Forestry and Natural Resources where he obtained his Forest Ranger Certificate (1934) and Bachelor of Science in Forestry (1952) were two distinctions: the Most Distinguished Alumnus Award (1974) and the Mancono Award in 1995 (the highest award given by the association to an alumnus).

His dedication and advocacy for the conservation and advocacy for the conservation of the Philippine forests continued even beyond his retirement in 1979 after serving the government for 45 years. He was consultant to the Forest Research Institute (now the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, ERDB, the research arm of the DENR) where he retired as Assistant Director and regularly wrote his column Harnessing Research in the CANOPY International, a publication of the FORI/ERDB.

To his co-foresters and researchers and to all forest managers, concessionaires, and users he left these words to ponder upon: “The dipterocarp forest is the biggest, most valuable forest for wood, watershed and environmental protection, wildlife habitat and ecological stability. It is our all-purpose forest. Hence, the number one priority must be given to studies on technical and economic problems maintaining and improving its conservation, development, and utilization.” In so doing, he further exhorted everybody with these parting lines: “Our biggest opportunity to serve God and fellowmen is in our present job. It occupies most of our waking time. Let us then do the best we can in our job. I am sure it will give each and everyone utmost satisfaction.”

In a Tribute written for the necrological services for Forester Reyes in March 2005, his son Jorge, an environment specialist at the New Jersey state government, said that one of Martin’s grandsons described him best as a “survivor”. Indeed, he was a true survivor, given what he has gone through in the last few years and what he accomplished despite the odds throughout his life. His will to live or will to survive is born of both genetics and environment. Born of humble origins and of the stock of hardy folks in the environmentally harsh region of Ilocos—a place where one has to be hardworking, diligent, and industrious in order to survive. It is a place where bamboos—that very resilient plant species—thrive.

Jorge also wrote:

“I am tempted to think that my father embodied the very characteristics of this lowly plant—whose essence is grass, the virtue of which is persistence, but whose form is that of a tree, the virtue of which is patience. I might add another characteristic—it is prolific. Anybody who has dealt with my father could attest to his persistence and patience. As to his being prolific as well, Martin’s children—eight in all—are the living proof of it. Professionally, he was a prolific worker and writer, producing works of substance and writing papers and articles well into his old age. The Lumberman, a publication for the forest industry, was a favorite magazine of his and his sheer effort at writing and editing kept it alive at a time when it should have folded up already. But this was only a means for him, one of several he strove hard to employ. His real motivation was to have a platform to advocate what he believed to be the best for Philippine forestry. That is, how best to conserve what is left of the magnificent forests the Philippines has, and how these forests and associated resources could be managed and utilized to provide jobs for its people in order to lift them up from poverty. As long as he could think and write, he persisted in this noble cause with both professionalism and passion. In this he was a true professional. He continued to practice the profession he loved long after he left the government and public service.

“It is quite fitting that he was honored with a necrological service in the Forest Management Bureau, whose predecessor agency, the Bureau of Forestry, he served with distinction and integrity when he died in March 2005. In that Bureau he spent the best years of his professional public service. His best legacy perhaps was the good example he set among his peers and the succeeding generations of foresters in terms of work ethic and ethical responsibility. He chose as his practice area the field of forest management—advancing very early on the concepts of sustainability and stewardship, which are now key words in the management of ecosystems and natural resources. His key achievement, by which he will be remembered in Philippine forestry, was being the “Father of Selective Logging”—a forest management system he believed was most appropriate for the Philippine dipterocarp forests (Philippine mahogany)—once the jewel of the country’s forests and valuable source of national income. Had it been implemented properly in the right policy environment, the country could still be benefiting from the presence of such valuable forest resource.

“He also left his mark in forest research, having served as the first assistant director of the Forest Research Institute (FORI), now known as the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB). He believed in the importance of research as the key to better management and policy decisions. He always had good research ideas in his mind including non-traditional forest uses such as the role of forests in mitigating global warming. The more developed of our neighboring countries in Southeast Asia are doing well in resource conservation because of their investments in research particularly forest research. He would have liked to see our country at par with our neighbors in this area.

“Our father left a legacy of a life that could be considered as well lived or lived to the fullest, it is my feeling that he lingered for quite a while because he was burdened by a sense of some more tasks yet to be finished. He was one man who could not leave an important mission unfulfilled. He seemed not able to rest until his job is done. His vision has yet to be realized. The outcomes he desired so much may have not materialized. The adverse forces in our society that he struggled against were simply too much for one man. At times, he must have felt like a voice in the wilderness. But he persisted with the clarity of vision, courage, and compassion that he could still muster until his very last breath. Last Saturday, God in His mercy and wisdom, gave him the peace of soul he richly deserved, finally freeing him from the burdens that he carried faithfully and without complaint. At the door of death, he faced his Maker with a clean slate, hoping that in the afterlife he could watch us (his children, fellow professionals, and friends), to whom the unfinished tasks were passed on, would carry on such responsibility as faithfully as he did. With God’s grace, we hope that we can make his vision come true.”

Forester Reyes died on March 26, 2005.