Diploma in Agroforestry

The Diploma in Agroforestry is designed to train a cadre of well-rounded and highly motivated development workers that could facilitate promotion of agroforestry in community-based and people-oriented forestry projects. As a post-graduate degree program, the Diploma in Agroforestry focuses on agroforestry development and management, with emphasis on knowledge acquisition, skills development, and environmental value formation. It consists of 30 units of courses which can be completed in a year (2 semesters).

Curriculum

Admission

Interested applicants should hold a baccalaureate degree and have passed an aptitude test and/or interview. S/He must submit the following:

1. A fully accomplished application form
2. Certificate of English proficiency
3. An original copy of official transcript of records
4. Two letters of recommendation from former professor and/or supervisors
5. A certificate of relevant work experiences of at least one year (applies to non-BS Agriculture, non-BS Forestry, and non-BS Agroforestry applicants)

Bachelor of Science in Forestry

As a four-year curriculum, the BSF provides the students with a strong background in the various aspects of forestry through six major fields of specializations: forest biological sciences, forest environmental resources management, silviculture and agroforestry, forest products, social forestry, and forest and natural resources governance.

Certificate in Forestry

This two-year course offers a complete, responsive and relevant curricular model that emphasizes the basic technical skills required of a graduate capable of assisting a professional forester in the implementation of regulatory and developmental functions of the profession.

Curriculum

Shifting from the Certificate of Forestry curriculum to the BSF program.

Certificate of Forestry students with good scholastic records can opt to transfer to the BSF program by complying to either of the following conditions:

• Completion of the requirements in the first year program (including summer) of the Certificate in Forestry curriculum with a weighted average of 2.0 or better.
• Completion of all the requirements for the Certificate in Forestry program with a weighted average of 2.5. or better in all the academic units earned.

History of CFNR

A Forest School under the College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines, was created through Republic Act No. 1989 on April 19, 1910, sponsored by the late Hon. Jaime C de Veyra. George P. Ahern, director of the then Bureau of Forestry was the school’s first ex-officio head. The school had 24 Forest Ranger Course students and the faculty members of the College of Agriculture taught the general education courses. In 1912, the first batch of rangers graduated from the school.

On February 11, 1916, the school became a distinct unit of the university. Five years after, the Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree was approved by the University Council and the Board of Regents. It was however formally opened in 1924 with 11 students. In the same year, the Forest School was renamed School of Forestry through Republic Act No. 3095.

During the Japanese occupation, some of the buildings, equipment, and records were burned. Despite this, the school remained open.

In 1930, the school was elevated to a collegiate level. On June 14, 1949, it became the College of Forestry through R.A. 352 authored by Senator Geronima T. Pecson. Dr. Florencio R. Tamesis was its first Filipino ex-officio head from 1937 to 1953.

A reorganization plan was implemented in 1957 that separated the College from the Bureau of Forestry, thus transferred the college under the full responsibility of the university. The U.P. Board of Regents appointed Dr. Calixto Mabesa as its first dean.

The 1960s brought changes to the College through the assistance of the State University of New York. There was the expansion program for academic facilities and faculty development; establishment of four departments namely: Forest Biological Sciences, Forest Resources Management, Wood Science and Technology, and Forestry Extension. It was also during this decade that the College offered the masteral degree program.

The College’s physical development and curricular improvements and offerings were evident in the 1970s. The Doctor of Philosophy program was offered in 1973 and after a year, the Bachelor of Science in Forest Products Engineering, a four year undergraduate program was opened. This became a five-year curricular program in 1989. A World Bank loan paved the way for the improvement of the College’s physical facilities and a strong faculty development program.

At the later part of the ‘70s, the Forestry Development Center (FDC) was created by PD 1559 and the college was reorganized.

In 1985, the Institute of Forest Conservation was established. It coordinated the extension and research functions of the college and became a leading training arm for foresters, NGOs, LGUs and academic institutions.

The 1990s saw the creation of the UPLB Agroforestry Program, offering of the revised Bachelor of Science in Forestry curriculum offering of the post-graduate Diploma in Agroforestry, in cooperation with the College of Agriculture and revision of the Forest Ranger Certificate into the Certificate in Forestry. In June 1998, the College of Forestry was reorganized into College of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Mega Trends

1. Biophysical
   • Increasing environmental concerns
   • Resource use optimization
2. Socioeconomic
   • Increasing industrialization
   • Increasing pressures on available resources
   • Changing market patterns for CFNR graduates
   • Trend toward the use of innovative approaches to management
   • Increasing the demand for quality forest products
3. Politico-Institutional
   • Increasing stakeholders participation in natural resources management
   • Global trends for sustainable management
   • Increasing competition in instruction, R&D, and extension
   • Holistic, integrative, and collaborative approaches
   • Rapid development in information technology
   • Changing profile of students

CFNR Values

• Excellence
• Service/professional ethics
• Scientific
• Sustainability
• Social equity
• Transparency
• Participation
• Integrative
• Resourcefulness
• Creative collaboration
• Love for learning
• Volunteerism
• Leadership and management style

Overall Thrust: Forest, Natural Resources, Environment, and People

With the reorganization, the College included natural resources under its main theme. Thus, it has forests, natural resources, environment and people as its thrusts, and the College continues to recognize two vital realities: 1) forests should be viewed in the wider context of environmental stability; and 2) forests should be managed for the benefit of the people.

The four major and interrelated themes on which the thrusts are focused and interlinked are as follows:

1. Forest and the Natural Environment
   1. Rehabilitation of degraded lands and plantation development
   2. Environmental forestry
   3. Biodiversity, protected areas, mangroves, and wetlands
   4. Urban forestry
2. Forestry and Poverty Eradication
   1. Community-based forestry
   2. Management of residual forest and non-timber forest products
   3. Bio-resource utilization and enterprise development
3. Forestry and Food Security, Nutrition, and Health
   1. Forestry and agricultural productivity
   2. Forestry and nutrition and health
4. Conservation and Development of Makiling Forest

Center of Excellence in Forestry Education

On January 11, 2000, the Commission on Higher Education issued Memorandum Order No. 06 Series of 2000 declaring CFNR as a Center of Excellence in Forestry Education for three years. It shall receive corresponding support from the Commission after submission of project proposals and shall be subject to periodic evaluation by the Office of Programs and Standards.

Teaching effectiveness of the faculty was rated excellently by the students through the evaluation of teachers by the students instituted by the University since 1978. Even during the late 80s, CFNR also got an excellent rating based on TPAE’s evaluation. Faculty student ratio is at 1:5.96. Of the 61 faculty members, 57.37% are registered professional foresters, 55.74% are Ph.D. degree holders, 29.51% with MS/MF degrees and only 14.75% are BS graduates but are pursing their masters degrees.

As a premiere forestry school, the undergraduate program in forestry offered by the college, even exceeded the minimum standard set by the TPAE. At the undergraduate level, the college offers the Certificate in Forestry, BS in forestry with the following six major specialization: forest biological sciences, forest environmental resources management, silviculture and agroforestry, forest products, social forestry, and forests and natural resources governance. At the graduate level, the college offers MS and Ph.D. programs in forestry and environment.

Aside from its basic laboratory facilities, the college has also put up specialized laboratories for the use of students in the conduct of their thesis and special problems. It has the Makiling Forest Reserve for its research and as a training laboratory. In addition, it has the Makiling Botanic Gardens that maintains living collections of indigenous plants of Mt. Makiling and endangered and rare species of the country. The CFNR library provides the students with an extensive and updated holdings and acquisitions of books and references.

For the last five years, the CFNR graduates have consistently topped the Forester’s Board Examination.

Almost all the faculty members of CFNR are with MS or Ph.D. degrees and they are involved in both research and extension activities. Among the research grants enjoyed by the college are from the UN/FAO, ITTO, JIRCAS, USAID and the European Union. Not only is it equipped for its research activities but it is also fully equipped to carry out aggressive and extensive extension programs.

CFNR has maintained strong and active linkages with both local and international forestry schools and institutions. It is an active member of the Asia-Pacific, ASEAN and world forestry institutions.

There is very low turn–over of faculty members and in its long productive years of existence since 1910, it has consistently produced quality graduates and most of them occupy sensitive and high ranking positions both in the government and private agencies in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific.