Angelo Bon Balmes

III - Forestry 1

Summary Discussion

Developing a Community Herbarium

Once I heard that there would be a free session about a community herbarium, I was not sure if
I would participate, given that I was unfamiliar with the term ‘herbarium’. Likewise, attending an all-day
seminar or even a three-day conference may not sound like the best use of your time. However, getting
out of school for a day or more is actually one of the best things to boost our knowledge and
opportunities to learn more. Instead of complaining about attending the seminar, I instantly decided to
participate. In light of the excellent incentives, coming from the Legazpi OCENR and UPLB Museum of
Natural History , I consider it a great fortune that I was able to attend the seminar. This would be
beneficial to the general public and student researchers.

Just like any other seminar, the program started with a prayer, the singing of the national
anthem, and welcoming remarks and messages from prominent personnel. The first session was held on
October 12, 2022, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. It is about the "Cursory Review on Dendrology," and it was
discussed by Dr. Pastor L. Malabrigo, Jr. He is a professor, a forester, and a curator on native trees in the
UPLB Museum of Natural History. The first session started with a refresher quiz regarding the similar
traits of the plant species he presented. Likewise, the sessions primarily outlined the introduction to
identification or classification, the characters for classification, and the methods of identification. The
first thing I learned from the session was that the process of classifying the taxa of plant species must be
based on their characters. The fact that there are so many species to memorize may be the reason why
the majority of students find taxonomy or dendrology topics boring. But he emphasized the importance
of using the right method. Hence, he highlighted that identification is not just familiarization but more of
a logical process of deductive reasoning. According to him, identification is the determination of the
correct name of the plant species that may be similar or different from an already known plant.
Additionally, he presented the characters to consider in identifying a plant species, namely plant habits,
root characters, modified stem, stem form, types of bark, types of crown, types of flower and fruit, and
leaf characters. These characters were presented in detail, and examples were given. For instance,
cylindrical, tapering, and fluted types of stem form were discussed through their unique differences.
Likewise, various leaf arrangements and leaf compositions were discussed, and much more.
Furthermore, he also presented methods of identification such as the use of literature, the use of
botanic gardens and arboretums, and the use of analytical keys. It was like a course refresher in regards
to the dendrology topics we had during our 2nd year in college. Lastly, Dr. Malabrigo ended his talk with
a saying from Baba Dioum, "In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we
understand; and we will understand only what we are taught."
 The second session was also held on October 12, 2022, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The topic
highlighted the importance of the "Basic Wood Identification Technique for Forest Trees," and it was
discussed by Dr. Rosalie C. Mendoza. She is an associate professor and a curator at the UPLB Museum of
Natural History. Similarly, the topic was like a course refresher in regards to the wood identification
topics we had during our 2nd year in college. Although we already have prior knowledge of how to
identify the xylem of angiosperms and gymnosperms, Dr. Mendoza gave us a quick review on the
definition of xylem (wood), the cells that make it up, its common properties, the difference between
sapwood and heartwood, growth increments, and much more. She also emphasized the difference
between hardwood and softwood, whereas softwoods are less porous and hardwoods are compact and
porous. She also presented the methods of its proper identification, such as consulting with experts,
books, wood library, use of applications and software, and the use of dichotomous keys. In particular to
the importance of wood identification, Dr. Mendoza highlighted the wood structures that are beneficial
to identifying the woods, like their physical features (e.g. odor, color, texture) and structural features
(e.g. growth rings, wood rays, cell distribution). She ended the session by presenting various illustrations
of wood from Philippine trees.

The third session was held on October 13, 2022, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The topic "Review of
the Taxonomy of Shrubs and Other Plant Groups" was discussed by Assoc. Prof. Annalee S. Hadsall, a
curator on botanical herbarium in the UPLB Museum of Natural History. Assoc. Prof. Hadsall started the
session with a quote from Arthur Tindell Hopwood, "The urge to classify is a fundamental
human instinct; like the predisposition to sin, it accompanies us into the world at birth and stays with us
to the end." Right after, she discussed the different forest layers, such as emergent layer, canopy layer,
understory, and forest floor. The emergent layer refers to the top of the rainforest where leaves obtain
more sunlight. The canopy layer is a very dense layer that has the ability to block sunlight from reaching
the forest floor. Hence, the undestory layer receives 5–10% of sunlight. Lastly, the forest floor is the
layer with almost no sunlight. These layers are what make up the whole forest ecosystem. I also learned
that these layers are also known as the forest condominium. Moreover, Assoc. Prof. Hadsall presented
the taxa of plant groups within the understory and forest floor, like Araceae, Zingiberaceae,
Euphorbiaceae, Gesneriaceae, Apocynaceae, Loranthaceae, and Verbenaceae. Although the ideas can
appear overwhelming since there are a lot of unfamiliar terms that need to be comprehended, it was all
fun to listen to and ended the day with a productive discussion. I have learned that most of these plant
species are identified by their inflorescence (flowers), which makes them more interesting. Additionally,
I have learned that species from the understory and forest floor require the care of foresters just as
much as trees do.

The fourth session was likewise held on October 13, 2022, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The
topic "Collection and Preservation of Herbarium Specimens" was discussed by Asst. Prof. Ivy Amor F.
Lambio, a curator on mosses in the UPLB Museum of Natural History. The general concept that I learned
from creating a good herbarium starts with having a good collection method. But first, an herbarium, as
defined by Asst. Prof. Lambio, is a growing collection of dried plants that are kept in cabinets, curated ,
and made accessible to the public. She made us familiar with what specific equipment to bring during
specimen collection, like pruning shears, collection bags, 70% ethanol, data notebooks, and collection
tags. Additionally, she emphasized the quality of specimens to be collected. For instance, fruits, flowers,
and mature spores are collected for fertile specimens; fertile and sterile fronds (leaves) are collected for
ferns; and much more. One key concept that I also learned from the session is that it is important to
shower the specimens with 70% ethanol in the collection area itself. Ethanol has a stronger effect on the
structural properties of the plant membranes, which makes their plant cells compact and denser.

The fifth session was held on October 14, 2022, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., whereas For. Michelle
A. San Pascual discussed the importance of "Herbarium Techniques." For. San Pascual introduced the
history of herbarium practices, which was believed to be practiced by Luca Ghini in the 16th century,
continued with Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in the 17th century, and ended with Carolus Linnaeus in the
18th century. Hence, the word ‘herbarium’ is actually used to refer to a medicinal book. In addition,
herbaria have a critical role in documenting plant diversity, as a source of information about plant
species, the validation of scientific observations, and many more. She also introduced the different types
of herbaria, the geographic location of the world's biggest herbaria, and the common herbarium
terminologies. The common techniques to properly preserve and mount specimens are likewise
discussed. In herbarium techniques, pressing using plant press is commonly the first step in order to
flatten the specimen. The specimens should be dried in an oven or other type of dryer before being fully
mounted. A mounting sheet is 11.5 inches by 16.5 inches in size, and Elmer's Glue is typically used to
bind the specimen to the mounting sheet. Moreover, the label is one of the most crucial components of
a herbarium specimen because it contains all of the pertinent data; as a result, it must be properly
labeled. Additionally, it is challenging to establish a herbarium since there are numerous factors to take
into account. The financial resources for the specimens' development and maintenance should be
prioritized together with their permanent preservation and management. Thus, high-quality specimens
should be used to create a stable herbarium rather than those that were poorly collected specimens. If
there is one thing that I learned, it is that establishing an herbarium is expensive and should have a long-
term plan.

Lastly, the sixth session was likewise held on October 14, 2022, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. At first, I
assumed that an herbarium is merely focused on plant specimen. However, as discussed by Dr. Jennifer
M. Niem in "Collection and Preservation of Forest Fungi," there is also a fungal herbarium which holds
different species of fungi. Dr. Niem started the session with a warm-up quiz relating to fungi. She
introduced mycology, which is defined as the study of fungi, as well as the characteristics of all fungi.
She also introduced the structural feature of a fungus. I am not familiar with these terms; but somehow,
it was an extraordinary experience. As a matter of fact, I just recently found out that fungi have fruiting
bodies. Thus, fungi as a whole have importance to people and the environment, but sometimes they are
poisonous and disease-causing organisms to plants, especially trees. The main emphasis of the session is
on forest fungi (macrofungi), which have two phyla (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota) being discussed.
Relating to herbarium concepts, these macrofungi are the subjects of specimen collection. As I
remembered, Ascomycota, also known as sac fungi, produce spores in sacs during sexual reproduction.
However, they also produce conidia during their asexual reproduction. A conidium is an asexual
reproductive spore of fungi, which can be dispersed by wind, insects or water. It is also the largest group
of fungi. On the other hand, Basidiomycota, also known as club fungi, reproduce sexually. Dr. Niem also
discussed the basics of fungi specimen collection, such as permits, safety procedures and precautions,
proper equipment needed, and what to write in the field notes. Likewise, she also highlighted the
identification process of forest fungi through their unique characteristics and how to properly preserve
them using applicable methods. Since Dr. Niem holds a doctorate degree in plant pathology from
Charles Sturt University in Australia, it was possible to address these ideas in an interactive way. One
could tell that she was an expert in this field.

Overall, the seminar was relevant, comprehensive, and reflective. The speakers were very
efficient at relaying their topics. The seminar has allowed me to gain knowledge in regards to developing
a community herbarium. However, as I watch and listen to the webinar, developing a fully-operating
herabrium is really challenging. Nevertheless, this has been a good opportunity to join us on the
webinar. It gave me motivation and excitement to work and volunteer with the Legazpi OCENR
herbarium incentive.