ABOUT US

Casilayan Softwood Development Corporation belongs to the wood division of JEC. The wood division manages three (3) Industrial Forestry Management Agreements (IFMAs) with the Philippine Government. The IFMA forged by CSDC covers approximately 11,500 hectares of what were once denuded, logged-over forests. CSDC supplies all of the matchsticks requirements of the match factories.

The focal points of CSDC operations are the three integrated forestry management concessions that it manages under contract with the national government. These Integrated Forestry Management Agreements (IFMAs) allows the company to rehabilitate and develop certain identified tracts of non-productive, government-owned forestland into revenue generating, sustainable industrial tree plantations.

The three industrial tree plantations of CSDC are located in the province of Agusan del Sur in the CARAGA Region. These are the 5,000 hectare IFMA-09 located in the town of San Luis, the 5,500 hectare IFMA-19 located in the municipalities of La Paz and Talacogon and the 1,000 hectare IFMA X-94 located in the municipalities of La Paz and Loreto. IFMA-09 and IFMA X-94 are already fully-developed, while IFMA-19 is currently undergoing development. CSDC operates a tree nursery in its Talacogon office in which Falcatta and Mangium species are cultured for subsequent planting.

The major inventory of tree species in IFMA-09 includes softwood species such as gubas (estimated at 500,000 standing trees as of 2002), falcatta (estimated at 294,579 standing trees as of 2002) and other dipterocarp species (estimated at 108,993 standing trees as of 2002). The tree inventory of IFMA X-94 on the other hand includes falcatta (estimated at 100,000 trees as of 2002) and acacia mangume (estimated at 50,000 standing trees as of 2002).

The logs harvested in both IFMA-09 and IFMA X-94 are used in the production of match sticks (splints) and wooden outer box covers of JAKA Equities Corporation's match plant located in Magallanes, Agusan del Norte. The balance of the log production are forwarded to CSDC's veneering plant and saw mill located in Talacogon, Agusan del Norte, for conversion to wood veneer and lumber products.

The tree inventory of IFMA-09 on the other hand, includes species such as mayapis (estimated at 20% of standing trees), tanguile, red lauan, almon, bagtikan, mangasinoro and white lauan (collectively accounting for another 20% of standing trees). The balance of the tree inventory of IFMA-09 includes among others, eucalyptus, acacia and yakal. The logs harvested in IFMA-09 are likewise fed to the JEC’s match plant in Agusan del Norte, as well as CSDC’s sawmill in Talacogon.

CSDC has installed a dual chamber kiln dryer with a rated capacity of 60,000 board feet per chamber to maximize the market value of its forest products. The kiln dryer is seen to significantly improve the marketability of the company’s lumber and other wood products.

In addition to the company's existing products, CSDC is already piloting the manufacture of quality plyboards, structural woodworks and furniture. The company likewise has plans of stepping up its production and sale of treated poled and piles which are used as electrical and telephone posts. Plans are likewise afoot for the company to establish a lumber yard in Manila in order to better its eco-friendly lumber products, as well as showcase for its structural and furniture wood working products.