DENR bans chainsaw registration in Region 2

TUGUEGARAO CITY: In a bid to conserve the remaining forest cover in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) banned the issuance of certificates of chainsaw registration, an official said.

Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan said on Friday that this was done to ensure the regulation of cutting of trees as part of the intensified forest protection and anti-illegal logging campaign of the agency.

Certificates of chainsaw registration were issued to owners as a document that authorize their use for tree harvesting under DENR Department Order 2003-24.

Known for its large forest reserves, Cagayan Valley is bounded by three mountain ranges: the Sierra Madre Mountains on the

East, the Cordillera Mountains on the West, and the Caraballo Mountains on the South.

Cagayan Valley, which comprises the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Batanes, has a total land area of over 2.6 million hectares which consists of over 1.7 hectares of forest land with a forest cover of more than 1 million hectares, which is so far the largest forest cover in the Philippines.

“The regulation and prohibition on the use of chainsaws is in line with the directive of Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to crackdown illegal forest activities and enhance forest conservation efforts through tree planting and growing,” the DENR-Region 2 chief explained.

She said there is a need to momentarily suspend the issuance of certificates of registration or permit to use chainsaws as it is seen as the major source and avenue of illegal forest activities.

She also emphasized the long years of growing trees is defeated by the use of chainsaws that can cut a single tree in just a few seconds.

She said curbing illegal forest activities involves three principles.

“First is the source; we have to check the status of the forests. Second is the route; we have to monitor the shipment through our north and south forest products monitoring checkpoints. And third is the destination, where we have to ensure that all lumber dealers are officially registered in the DENR,” the regional environment chief explained.

Meanwhile, the DENR-Region 2 urged lumber dealers to apply for a permit to ensure the proper regulation and monitoring by the agency.

The Region 2 environment chief also asked for the support of the law enforcement agencies of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police to turn over to the department all apprehended chainsaws for proper action.

As per the report of the DENRRegion 2 Enforcement Division, 312 of the 672 issued certificates of chainsaw registration have already expired, she said.

Under Republic Act 9175 or the “Chainsaw Act of 2002,” chainsaw ownership, possession, sale, transfer importation and/or use of chain saws is regulated to prevent them from being used in illegal logging or unauthorized clearing of forests.