Forestry under the Spanish Regime 

June 1863

The "Inspeccion General de Montes" was created pursuant to a Spanish Royal Decree. It was the first Forestry Service in the Philippines whose function was to determine, through data collection, the extent of the country's forest resources and oversee their proper utilization.

September 3, 1863

The Forestry Service was allowed by the Superior Civil Government to intervene in all matters pertaining to cutting, extracting timber, resins, etc. and to open up virgin lands to give concessions over mountain lands and transact business related to lands and forests.

May 3, 1866

The Forestry Service was directed to conduct reconaissance survey to the country's forest lands to determine the suitability of the timber for civil and naval purpose, find out the actual condition of the forest, check and prevent trespass and unauthorized encroachment into the forest and prevent illegal cutting of timber.

The government prescribed a kind of permit and cutting rules including forest demarcation and limitation. No permit, however, was required to cut timber for personal use.

February 1874

The government authorized the free use of timber under the gratuitous license.

June 8, 1874

Kaingin making was first banned and prohibited inside forest lands.

July 13, 1874

A decree was promulgated making it a crime to cut any timber for commercial purposes in left over deforested areas of Cebu and Bohol; however, free use privelege for domestic use was allowed.

November 13, 1894

The Royal Decree promulgated in Spain approved the definite Forest Laws and Regulations for the Philippine Forest Service, which was drafted by "Ministro de Ultimar". The regulations contained 138 articles under nine titles.

Forestry under the American Regime

April 14, 1900

The U.S. Military Governor in the Philippines issued General Order No. 50, renaming "Inspeccion" into Forestry Bureau. Captain George P. Ahern, of the 96th U.S. Infantry, was named as its first Director. 

June 27, 1900

The first Forest Legislation was enacted by the United States Government in the Philippine Islands. The principal purposes of the said order were to regulate the cutting, transportation and payment of forest charges on forest products from public forest and that timber cut for personal use be free of charge ut must be cut under license secured by means of certificate from Municipal Presidents.

September 6, 1901

The Philippine Commission passed Act No. 222, creating the Department of Interior and placing the Forestry Bureau, which was changed to Bureau of Forestry, under this department.

May 7, 1904

The Forest Act was enacted containing, among others, the Philippine Forest Policy which was the basis of all forestry operations until May 19, 1975, when the same expanded and made

1916

The supervision of the Bureau of Forestry was transferred from the Department of Interior to the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Bureau found itself extensively involved in various activities, including the classification of the public domain, granting and regulating opration of licenses, measurements of forest products, implementation of national system of forest management, forest protection, and conservation of wildlife, some harwood species, fruit trees, bushes, and some wildflowers.

January 1, 1937

Forester Florencio R. Tamesis was appointed Director of Bureau of Forestry, thus signalling the Filipinization of the country's forest service.

June 8, 1939

Jurisdiction by the Bureau of Forestry over pasture areas and grazing lands was provided under Commonwelath Act No. 452.

Forestry during the Japanese Occupation

January 30, 1942

By virtue of Administrative Order No. 1 approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Forces in the Philippines, the office became Bureau of Forestry and Fishery under the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce.

December 24, 1943

The Republic of the Philippines under the Japanese Regime promulgated Act No. 13 prohibiting the cutting of trees within public or private lands where spring is existing which maybe used for irrigation or for water supply purposes.

February 23, 1944

Act No. 42 was enacted limiting the maximum areas to be devoted to pasture and reforestation or tree plantations to 2,000 hectares.

Forestry Service After the Second World War up to the present

April 24, 1945

The Bureau of Forestry was reconstituted with five (5) divisions and 44 district offices. The responsibilities of the Bureau soon expanded requiring the creation of additional functional divisions and units in the central office and in the field.

November 1, 1945

The 13th Special Session of the 5th Congress of the Philippines under the Commonwealth Government enacted C.A. No. 720 extending the time for performing or complying any term, condition or stipulation involving public lands, forests and mineral concessions existing in 1942 which could not be performed by reason of the war.

July 20, 1953

By virtue of RA No. 826, the Parks and Wildlife Commission was created with primary function of administering and maintaining of National Parks and conserving wildlife.

1957

The Reorganization Plan No. 77 was implemented resulting in the creation of the Forest Products Institute from the merger of the Forest Products laboratory, which started as a division of the Bureau of Forestry, and the Forest Products Section of the Forest Investigation Division of the Bureau of Forestry. The said institute was attached to the University of the Philippines for policy coordination purposes.

June 18, 1960

Republic Act No. 2706 was enacted creating the Reforestation Administration which was tasked to reforest and afforest bare and denuded forest lands especially critical watersheds.

November 1, 1972

The Bureau of Forestry, the Parks and Wildlife Office and the Reforestation Administration were merged by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1, resulting in the creation of the Bureau of Forest Development.

December 18, 1974

With the Forest Research Division of the Bureau of Forest Development as a nucleus, the Forest Research Institute (FORI) was created by virtue of PD No. 607. (It is now superceded by EO 192 that abolished FORI and created the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) 

May 19, 1975

Presidential Decree No. 705 revising PD 389 (otherwise known as the "Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines") was issued formally organizing the Bureau of Forest Development (BFD). The BFD was a result of a merger of the Bureau of Forestry, Parks and Wildlife Office, Reforestation Administration and the Southern Cebu Reforestation Project).

July 10, 1985

Executive Order No. 1039 created the Wood Indsutry Development Authority (WIDA) which was responsible for the regulation, control, supervision and development of wood industry of the Philippines in all aspects. WIDA absorbed the functions of the Presidential Committee on Wood Industry Development and all the functions and powers of the BFD pertaining to forest utilization.

June 20, 1986

Ministry Administrative Order No. 8, Series of 1986 was issued by the then Minister Maceda in order to effectively arrest the denudation of our forests and to stop illegal logging and log scale log smuggling. 

June 10, 1987

Executive Order No. 192 known as the Reorganization Act of the DENR created, among others, the Forest Management Bureau which integrated and absorbed the powers and functions of the Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) and the Wood Industry Development Authority (WIDA) except those line functions and powers which were transferred to the Regional Field Offices.

The Parks and Wildlife Division and the Marine Parks Program of the Bureau of Forest Development was absorbed ny the newly created Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.

Likewise, the Land Classification Teams of the Bureau of Forest Development was integrated to the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority an attached agency of the DENR.

March 17, 1989

A nationwide ban on lumber export was imposed by the then Secretary Factoran through the issuance of DENR Administrative Order No. 89-19

June 30, 1990

The Master Plan for Forestry Development was prepared to guide the long-term development of the forestry sector in the Philippines.
October 29, 1991

The Republic Act No. 7161 was enacted, "An act incorporating sections of National Internal Revenue Code of 1977, as amended, to PD 705 as amended, otherwise known as "The Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines", and providing amendments thereto by increasing the Forest Charges on Timber and other Forest Products.

February 3, 1992

On June 1, Republic Act No. 7586, an "Act providing for the establishment and management of National Integrated Protected Areas System, defining its scope and coverage, and other purposes, known as the NIPAS Act of 1992 " came into reality.

July 19, 1995

Executive Order No. 263 was enacted, Adopting Community-based Forest Management as the National Strategy to ensure the sustainable development of the country's forestland resources and providing mechanisms for its implementation.

October 29, 1997

Republic Act No. 8371 was enacted, An Act to recognize, protect and promote the rights of indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples, creating a national commission on indigenous peoples, establishing implementing mechanisms, appropriating funds therefore.