MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will put the country's natural and second-growth forests off-limits to logging activities to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Natural forest and tree plantations are the primary sources of the country's demand for lumber.In the 2004, Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) study conducted by the DENR and Food and Agricultural Organization, old-growth forest designated for protection of natural reserves, national parks, and managed protected areas, account for some 1,700,050 hectares or 24 percent of the total forest cover of 7,162,560 hectares.Meanwhile, natural forest covers about 6,535,368 hectares or 91.2 percent, and tree plantations cover about 627,192 hectares or 8.8 percent.Paje stressed that "any official who will violate this instruction shall be automatically relieved and charged accordingly.""I have already told my officials that I will no longer approve or sign new logging contracts with logging component in natural forest, but directed them to instead fast track the applications for the establishment of tree plantations in idle, denuded, and degraded areas," Paje said.Fast tracking of tree plantations will abide by the Forestry Master Plan, which recommends the establishment of at least 550,000 hectares of timber plantations for the country to achieve self-sufficiency in its wood requirements. …