In consonance with the existing DENR laws, rules and regulations providing for the deregulation of planted tree species within private lands and tax declared A & D lands and in order to expedite processing of transport documents, the following guidelines are hereby promulgated for the guidance and compliance of all concerned.

SECTION 1. Registration. All private plantations within titled or tax declared A&D lands should be registered at the CENRO having jurisdiction over the area. Such registration shall be done following the hereunder procedures to wit:

a. The Forest Resources Conservation Division, upon effectivity of this circular shall design a registration form capturing all the pertinent information from the plantation owner up to the plantation itself.

b. The CENRO shall tap all possible linkages and networks to inform and encourage all private plantations owners to register their plantations using the form provided for the purpose, be it newly established, already established or mature plantation.

c. The CENROs shall maintain permanent Registry book to reflect all the information contained in the registration form to serve as data base on the extent of private plantations within its AOR. To form part of this permanent record is a certified and verified photo copy of the land title or tax declaration.

d. The CENROs, immediately upon receipt of the duly accomplished registration form and upon ground verification/validation of the information contained therein shall issue to the plantation owner the corresponding CERTIFICATE OF TREE PLANTATION OWNERSHIP.

Section 2. Harvesting. Cutting permit shall no longer be required from the-plantation owner in harvesting his mature plantation. However, for planted narra which is a premium species, a Special Private Land Timber Permit (SPLTP) shall be required pursuant to Section 4 of DENR Administrative Order No. 58 dated September 30, 1993. The minimum allowable cut the PENRO may grant to the permittee is five (5) cubic meters while the RED is authorized not exceeding ten (10) cubic meters.

SECTION 3. Transport of Harvested Timber. The transport of harvested timber shall be governed by the following procedures:

a. The Plantation owner shall secure and accomplish a "Self Monitoring Form" (SMF) from the CENRO Office concerned, indicating all the information required therein.

b. The CENROs shall assign control number on his form in the following manner:

Example: CYN - 030199-02 where:   CYN - CENRO Cauayan   03 - Month   01 - Date   99 - Year   02 - the 2nd SMF issued for that day.       In the case of other CENROs, the       following is their respective       assigned letter code:

Bay - Bayombong Dpx - Dupax Ato - Aritao Dfn - Diffun Ntn - Nagtipunan Sid - San Isidro Ign - Ilagan Rxs - Roxas Cbn - Cabagan Tug - Tuguegarao Pln - Palanan Ala - Alcala Api - Aparri Mir - Sanchez Mira Sln - Solana      

After assigning the control number, the CENRO shall provide the plantation owner three (3) copies thereof the distribution of which is as follows:

Original copy (white) - Owner to accompany the transport
Duplicate copy (pink) - CENRO file
Triplicate copy (blue) - Owner file

The CENRO will dispatch personnel to conduct verification of on board product covered by issued SMF.

c. The accompanying transport documents shall be limited to the following:

1. Original copy of the duly accomplished SMF.
   
   
2. Certified photo copy of the Certificate of Registration
   
   
3. Special Power of Attorney in cases where the person transporting the forest product is not the owner himself.

d. DENR checkpoints shall undertake the following activities:

1. Enter in the logbook every SMF accompanying the transport.
   
   
2. Strictly validate the load and examine whether these are really planted species and if such species are the same as indicated in the Certificate of Registration.
   
   
3. Stamp "Check and Verified" the SMF to indicate that it is already used.
   
   
4. Effect seizure of the products in cases where there are observed discrepancy/ies.

SECTION 5. Marketing. To allow the elements of an open market to play naturally for the benefit of the plantation owners, there shall be no restriction, in whatever manner, on the disposition/marketing of plantation species. Provided, it is supplied/delivered to legitimate buyers. To his effect, the following shall be observed:

a. The CENRO of Origin shall inform the CENRO of destination, thru fastest means about the incoming shipment.

b. Log Supply contract shall no longer be required but the concerned personnel of the CENRO of destination shall accomplish the Arrival Confirmation Report (ACR) which shall be sent back to the CENRO of Origin upon arrival.

c. Disposition of processed products shall be continuously covered by the usual documents adopted with the duly approved Arrival Confirmation Report.

d. Repetitious verification at different office levels shall be avoided, except on cases where it is deemed necessary.

SECTION 5. Penal Provision. All persons found to have violated this Circular shall be administratively and criminally liable. Any DENR personnel who willfully or negligently allowed passage of illegally documented forest products or acted in cahoots with illegal transporters of the illegal forest products shall be dealt with accordingly.

SECTION 6. Effectivit. This Memorandum Circular shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 29 July 1999

(SGD.) ANTONIO H. CERILLES
Secretary