Gmelina, a Tree That Fills the Needs for Lumbers in the Philippines

 Gmelina is a fast-growing deciduous tree belonging to the Lemnaceae family. It is a native to Southeast Asia, Australia, India, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.  It has a grayish grown bark; the wide spreading canopy has leaves that are heart shaped and yellow flowers that turn into small drupes. The tree can grow up to thirty meters and has a life span of about 30 to 40 years. Its small round fruits can be food for birds, fruit bats, monkeys, and other animals. The fruits are even edible to humans, but they are just ignored because it is not widely acceptable as food and its bittersweet taste is not suitable to their taste. Gmelina flowers are relished by bees for the nectar that produces high-quality honey. Gmelina leaves are good fodder for cattle.                                                                           

In the 60’s the forest cover of the Philippines was fast declining. And there was the need to protect native hardwoods such as nara, molave, red lauan and others from excessive logging, and to preserve the remaining forests. It was in that context that fast-growing trees from other countries such as gmelina and mahogany were introduced.  

The cutting of premium hardwood native trees is already banned by the government through the DENR. In this respect the planting of gmelina and mahogany for investment in agro-forestry has become financially viable. Farmers started growing these trees. The return on investment was long-term but profitable. The tree can grow fast in its first 5 to 8 years and slow down around seven years, and it can be harvested for its lumber in a decade or less.

                                                                                                                                                               Gmelina wood is used in house construction and making of furniture. It is also used in the production of plywoods, paper pulps, fuel, and charcoal. Though it is not as hard as the native hardwoods, gmelina is categorized as moderately hard which makes it an ideal wood to work with in wood crafts. Its softer texture and lighter weights make it an ideal material for making musical instruments like ukelele and acoustic guitars. Its straight grains and lightness make it suitable for guitar sound board in place of more preferred but imported and expensive spruce. Gmelina wood is susceptible to dents, warping and termite attack, so that it must be chemically treated and properly dried before use.

Because of the scarcity of native tree woods, gmelina and mahogany are currently the go-to woods for lumber, especially on inner house carpentry works. Coco lumber can also be used in low-cost housing and temporary buildings infrastructures and scaffoldings, but coco lumber is inferior to real tree woods and is more susceptible to termites and rot when exposed to water and rains.

                                                                                                                                                                 The introduction of gmelina in the Philippines has raised concern about the forest ecosystem since gmelina is not native tree and is considered as an invasive species that can crowd out, outgrow and even kill native trees in competing for nutrients from the soil. The situation is not good for the flora and fauna because native animals like insects, mammals, and carnivores depend on these native trees for foods and subsistence. It will also kill plants near its location because it consumes much water and nutrients in the ground leaving little for the undergrowth plants to survive.