In the 2018 CBMS, 87.20% or 161,358 hectares of the land area of 185,054 hectares are classified as timberland. There was a slight difference in the data provided by MPDC Loreto in the updated CDP because the declared timberland area here is 165,011 hectares or 89.17% of the total land area which is the same as mentioned above. Big portions of the total land area are delineated as production and protection forests, 88,669 and 70,187, respectively.
13,078 hectares of land are classified as protected forests by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The area constitutes above 50% slope, undeclared watersheds, and naturally grown forests. Under DENR’s DAO 1999-13, certain portions of the public forestland are declared as the CARAGA Forest Plantation Corridor (CFPC). A gross of 88,980 hectares with portions located in Barangay Kasapa, Sabud, and Ferdinand is part of parcel 1 of the CFPC.
Several forest areas are bounded with co-production sharing agreements and tenurial instruments. Extensive Wood Processing Corporation (EWPC) held 6,000 hectares of IFMA that expired in 2017, and 1,000 hectares of IFMA were granted to Royal match. All are located in the Municipality of Loreto.
Portions of the forestland termed CBFM is held by different tribal groups in the municipality including the Tuya-Tuyaan Tribal Farmers Association of Sitio Lumad, Barangay San Vicente holding 130 hectares, Kaaguma Agro-Forestry Development Incorporated with 2,278 hectares in Barangay Waloe, Magaud, Violanta, Maitom, and Poblacion, and Manobo Tribal Indigenous Cultural Community that holds 14,610 hectares (CADC-CBFM) covering portions of Barangay Kasapa I and II in Loreto extending to the municipality of La Paz.
Reference: Loreto, Agusan del Sur MPDO, CBMS 2018