‘Condemned’ leaning dao tree at UPLB survives ‘Milenyo’

If only a tree could talk — or laugh.

That’s what a dao tree at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus must be doing now.

The reason: It survived deadly typhoon "Milenyo," which uprooted, felled or dismembered many much younger trees in the sprawling UPLB complex last Sept. 28.

The leaning dao tree, about a century-old, in front of the UPLB Student Union building had been recommended for cutting as early as two years ago.

The question of whether to cut the aging tree or not divided some sectors of the Los Baños science community and other concerned environmentalists.

As gathered by The STAR, some UPLB officials then planned to cut down the "leaning tree of UPLB."

The former officials (UPLB’s leadership changed in 2005) justified the plan by saying that the tree was in danger of toppling down because its basal area (butt) was already damaged and that it was leaning toward the road.

They expressed fear that it might fall anytime and harm pedestrians, particularly students.

But those opposing the plan argued that dao is one of the country’s threatened and vulnerable forest species, as defined in the 1980 International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Data Guide Book.

Scientifically named Dracontomelon dao, dao is a tall tree (35 to 40 meters high) still found in primary and secondary forests. Its wood can be used to make furniture, cabinets, crates, tables, boxes, matchsticks, bancas, and rafters.

Conservationists and private individuals, and a lawmaker, too, even joined the debate of whether to cut the tree or not.

The office of then Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozun also received text messages asking her to look into the issue.

In response, Gozun instructed the UPLB-based DENR-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) to look into the proposal to cut the tree and to assess the dao tree itself.

Based on the ERDB’s findings, the tree can still be preserved.

To avoid the damaged tree from posing any danger, the bureau recommended the following steps:

• Part of the tree’s crown and the big branches can be pruned to lessen the weight of the upper portion of the tree.

A propping structure can be placed at the midsection of the tree’s main stem to strengthen its position and to reduce the tree’s tendency to lean toward the road and finally, to prevent if from falling down.

• Rehabilitation measures to take care of the decayed lower butt portion of the tree.

Then came "Milenyo."

The tree survived because primarily, before the destructive typhoon came howling over the UPLB complex with strong winds and heavy rains, its crown (foliago) had long been cut.

Now it majestically stands at the UPLB complex over its "fallen comrades."

Yes, if only a tree could talk — and laugh. The leaning dao tree had the last laugh, indeed.