Season 3-Walking Beside a Forester: Lessons Beyond the Forest
Season 3 of 9
When I married a forester, I became curious about a profession so different from my own.
At first, I thought forestry was simply about identifying tree species, measuring trees to determine whether they were ready for harvest, locating them on maps, and planning how to transport the logs.I soon discovered I was wrong.
As a CPA, the number amazed me.
As a woman with little experience in the mountains, it also intimidated me.
I assumed that was our destination.
It wasn’t.
That was only the beginning.
The foreman smiled and pointed toward the mountain.
"Shout," he said. "When you hear the echo of your voice, you've reached the first turning point."
I finally heard my echo when I was already high on the mountain.
Thankfully, I had brought two 1.5-liter bottles of Coca-Cola.
By the time we reached the bunkhouse, both bottles were empty.
I was told we would walk about 2 kilometers along a rough road to the foot of a rolling hill.
From there, we crossed creeks and rivers and climbed higher toward the reforestation site.
"How much farther?" I asked.
The destination felt endless.
Meeting the Indigenous Community
It was there that I met the Indigenous community working on the reforestation project.
I asked them how far they had walked.
Then they invited me to visit their village.
Curiosity led me to accept.
It was my first time entering an Indigenous community.
Their homes were built from bamboo, wood, and other materials gathered from the forest.
As a CPA, the number amazed me.
As a woman with little experience in the mountains, it also intimidated me.
I assumed that was our destination.
It wasn’t.
That was only the beginning.
The foreman smiled and pointed toward the mountain.
"Shout," he said. "When you hear the echo of your voice, you've reached the first turning point."
I finally heard my echo when I was already high on the mountain.
Thankfully, I had brought two 1.5-liter bottles of Coca-Cola.
By the time we reached the bunkhouse, both bottles were empty.
Forestry is not only about trees. It is about a community of living species and people.
The 20,000 Seedling Bags
One of my first experiences was helping transport 20,000 plastic seedling bags for a reforestation project.I was told we would walk about 2 kilometers along a rough road to the foot of a rolling hill.
From there, we crossed creeks and rivers and climbed higher toward the reforestation site.
"How much farther?" I asked.
The destination felt endless.
Meeting the Indigenous Community
It was there that I met the Indigenous community working on the reforestation project.
I asked them how far they had walked.
Then they invited me to visit their village.
Curiosity led me to accept.
It was my first time entering an Indigenous community.
Their homes were built from bamboo, wood, and other materials gathered from the forest.
The tribal leader welcomed me into his home and offered me a cup of coffee.
Inside, I noticed a large opening in the center of the floor.
"What is it for?" I asked.
"That is our fireplace," he explained. "It keeps us warm during cold nights and the rainy season, and it helps protect us from wild boars."
The journey back somehow felt shorter.
This time, I didn't need any Coke.
I became interested not only in forests but also in maps, Indigenous communities, and the lives of the people who depended on nature every day.
I wanted to understand what they valued most so I could better understand what they needed.
Many families depended on root crops and forest resources for food.
Wild boars often competed with them for what little was available.
So I suggested planting banana suckers.
Each family first planted 100 banana suckers around their homes.
Then they planted 900 more on their individual farms.
I paid ₱3 for every sucker planted and provided rice and coffee while they worked as part of the reforestation project.
Why bananas?
Because food growing close to home meant fewer long walks into the forest, less danger from wild boars, and an additional source of food and income for their families.
I encouraged the families to harvest what they needed for food and sell the surplus to support their daily needs.
My husband and I took no share of the harvest.
Instead, we hoped the income would help parents send their children to school.
Years later, that same community produced teachers, nurses, midwives, military personnel, and barangay officials.
Watching those children grow into professionals became one of the greatest rewards of our work.
I smiled and replied, "Instead of giving him a banana heart, give him a banana sucker. Teach him how to plant it in his own backyard. Then he won't have to walk a kilometer every time he needs one."
Then I asked, "Do you think he'll still take bananas from your plantation when he has his own?"
We laughed together.
But behind the laughter was a lesson I have never forgotten:
When you teach someone to plant, you do more than provide food. You give that person knowledge, confidence, and dignity.
That is one of the greatest lessons I learned while walking beside a forester.
In truth, it is also about the people, places, and life lessons that taught me to appreciate nature.
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to work it and keep it." — Genesis 2:15
Inside, I noticed a large opening in the center of the floor.
"What is it for?" I asked.
"That is our fireplace," he explained. "It keeps us warm during cold nights and the rainy season, and it helps protect us from wild boars."
The journey back somehow felt shorter.
This time, I didn't need any Coke.
From Curiosity to Action
That experience changed me.I became interested not only in forests but also in maps, Indigenous communities, and the lives of the people who depended on nature every day.
I wanted to understand what they valued most so I could better understand what they needed.
Many families depended on root crops and forest resources for food.
Wild boars often competed with them for what little was available.
So I suggested planting banana suckers.
Each family first planted 100 banana suckers around their homes.
Then they planted 900 more on their individual farms.
I paid ₱3 for every sucker planted and provided rice and coffee while they worked as part of the reforestation project.
Why bananas?
Because food growing close to home meant fewer long walks into the forest, less danger from wild boars, and an additional source of food and income for their families.
Eighteen Months Later
About eighteen months later, the banana plants began bearing fruit.I encouraged the families to harvest what they needed for food and sell the surplus to support their daily needs.
My husband and I took no share of the harvest.
Instead, we hoped the income would help parents send their children to school.
Years later, that same community produced teachers, nurses, midwives, military personnel, and barangay officials.
Watching those children grow into professionals became one of the greatest rewards of our work.
The Lesson of the Puso ng Saging
One day, a farmer complained that his neighbor kept asking for puso ng saging.I smiled and replied, "Instead of giving him a banana heart, give him a banana sucker. Teach him how to plant it in his own backyard. Then he won't have to walk a kilometer every time he needs one."
Then I asked, "Do you think he'll still take bananas from your plantation when he has his own?"
We laughed together.
But behind the laughter was a lesson I have never forgotten:
When you teach someone to plant, you do more than provide food. You give that person knowledge, confidence, and dignity.
That is one of the greatest lessons I learned while walking beside a forester.
A Final Thought
Many people think The CPA Herbalist is only about medicinal plants.In truth, it is also about the people, places, and life lessons that taught me to appreciate nature.
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to work it and keep it." — Genesis 2:15