This paper presents an overview of the project planning workshop. The aims of the workshop were to update team members on the final project document approved by ACIAR and to present the broad outline of project activities; gain an appreciation of the potential for using existing tree farms as a core part of project activities (through site visits); present detailed plans for each project activity; and plan in detail the implementation of project activities including scheduling of data collection and identification of required resources. The workshop program consisted of a combination of field visits, formal presentations and formal and informal discussions about project implementation. Overall the project planning workshop was viewed as being an outstanding success

Harrison, Steve R.

Herbohn, John L.

University of Queensland eSpace

 1 
1. PROJECT PLANNING WORKSHOP 
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES 
 
John Herbohn and Steve Harrison 
 
 
This paper presents an overview of the project planning workshop. The aims of the 
workshop were to update team members on the final project document approved by ACIAR 
and to present the broad outline of project activities; gain an appreciation of the potential for 
using existing tree farms as a core part of project activities (through site visits); present 
detailed plans for each project activity; and plan in detail the implementation of project 
activities including scheduling of data collection and identification of required resources. The 
workshop program consisted of a combination of field visits, formal presentations and formal 
and informal discussions about project implementation. Overall the project planning 
workshop was viewed as being an outstanding success. 
 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
ASEM/2003/052 Improving Financial Returns to Smallholder Tree Farmers in the Philippines 
commenced on 1 January 2005. The goal of this project is to improve financial returns to 
existing smallholder tree farmers and intending tree farmers on Leyte. The planning 
workshop held from 11 to 18 February, 2005 in Ormoc was the first opportunity for Australian 
and Filipino collaborators to meet as a group to discuss the new project. The workshop 
comprised of a number of activities including and official project launch, site visits, formal 
presentations and detailed project planning sessions. Importantly, the workshop provided the 
venue for many informal discussions between project participants. Eight Australians and 16 
Filipinos attended the various workshop activities.   
 
The following sections provide a description of workshop activities. First, the purpose and 
aims of the workshop are outlined, and then the workshop program is presented. Further 
information is then provided on the format of the formal workshop presentations and joint 
data collection activities. Finally, reflections on the successes and key outcomes of the 
workshop are presented.  
 
PURPOSE AND AIMS OF WORKSHOP 
 
The purpose of the workshop is to undertake detailed planning for the new project. In order 
for this to occur we all needed to have a shared understanding of what the project involves 
and how this will be achieved. The project document (including project activities) underwent 
many changes during the various development stages, including the modifications brought 
about from an external review of the project and the ACIAR In-house Review. An important 
first activity of the workshop was to update team members about these changes. 
 
A systems approach has been used in the design of the project and all project activities are 
closely related. All project activities either draw on or feed into other project activities, hence 
the critical need for planning to ensure the coordination of activities. Working with existing 
tree farmers on Leyte forms a core part of the project activities and it is important that we are 
have an appreciation of the nature of these farms when we are planning the project 
activities. The timeframe of the project is also short relative to the range of activities planned 
and we need to ensure that project commences quickly and research activities are 
completed on a timely basis. There is little scope for a project extension.   
Project Planning Workshop Overview and Objectives 
 2 
 
The aims of the workshop were to: 
 
1. update team members on the final project document approved by ACIAR and to 
present the broad outline of project activities 
2. gain an appreciation of the potential for using existing tree farms as a core part of 
project activities (through site visits) 
3. present detailed plans for each project activity 
4. plan in detail the implementation of project activities including scheduling of data 
collection and identification of required resources 
 
Dr Ken Menz (ACIAR program leader) has emphasized that the teams need to focus on 
bringing about some tangible impacts during the next three years. We must bear in mind the 
need to bring about some tangible benefits when we are undertaking the detailed planning of 
all of the project activities. 
 
WORKSHOP PROGRAM 
 
Table 1 outlines the program for the workshop. Some minor changes to the originally 
proposed program were made during the course of the workshop which reflected 
discussions and new information that arose during the early stages of the workshop. Most 
notably, it became apparent that a better understanding of the market requirements of 
processors was needed in order to plan the various market related research activities. It was 
originally intended that detailed project activity planning was to occur on both Thursday and 
Friday (17th, 18th February). These discussions were condensed into Thursday, including 
discussions in the evening, in order to allow for visits to timber processors (sawmills and 
drying facilities) on Cebu. 
 
 
Table 1. Planning workshop program 
 
Date Activity 
Wed-Thurs (9-10 
Feb) 
Travel to Leyte via Cebu. 
Settle into Guest House 
Friday, 11 Feb 9 am – 12 noon: Outline of new project (Aim 1) 
2 pm to 5 pm: General discussions and meetings (Aim 1) 
6 pm: Welcome dinner 
Saturday, 12 Feb Field visits to tree farms (Aim 2) 
Sunday, 13 Feb Field visits to tree farms (Aim 2) 
Monday, 14 Feb Own time to prepare material for presentations; various 
meetings 
Tuesday, 15 Feb Project Activity presentations and discussion (Aim 3) 
Wednesday, 16 Feb Project Activity presentations and discussion (Aim 3) 
Thursday, 17 Feb Detailed project activity planning and coordination, 
including scheduling of data collection activities (Aim 4) 
Friday, 18 Feb Visit to timber processors on Cebu, discussions with 
Region 7 RED and RTD (Research)  
Saturday, 19 Feb Depart for Australia 
 
 
PRESENTATIONS ON PROJECT ACTIVITIES 
 
The purpose of the presentations on project activities on Tuesday and Wednesday was to 
outline clearly the planned research activities to be undertaken. Such a detailed outline is an 
Improving Financial Returns to Smallholder Tree Farmers in the Philippines 
 3 
essential precursor to be the detailed project planning to be undertaken on the Thursday of 
the workshop. A tentative list of papers was prepared and distributed to participants well in 
advance of the workshop. Participants were requested to prepare a full written paper prior to 
the workshop. All papers were multi-authored, with a high proportion involving a combination 
of Filipino and Australian authors. One person was nominated as the leader for the paper 
and requested to prepare the first draft which was then to be sent to coauthors for comment 
and further development. Most authors prepared drafts in advance as requested, although 
the circulation amongst coauthors appeared to be limited. 
 
Two types of presentations were made, namely “activity planning” papers and “background” 
papers.    
 
Activity planning papers: 
The activity planning papers were considered critical to the workshop success and were 
based on the project activities outlined in the project document. These papers outlined in 
detail the research that is planned under a particular activity as set out in Section 3 of the 
project document. Activities 1.1 to 1.3 relate to Objective 1; Activities 2.1 to 2.4 relate to 
Objective 2; and Activities 3.1 and 3.2 relate to Objective 3. Authors were requested to follow 
a standard format in preparing these activity papers, including the following sections: 
 
1. Background – identifies briefly why activity is important. 
2. Research questions to be addressed. In this section the research questions to be 
addressed should be clearly stated in the form of a list. This should be followed by a 
brief statement about how these research questions related to the relevant project 
objective and the related activities set out in Section 3.  
3. General research approach – this section should identify the general research 
approach that will be used (e.g. an action research methodology) and a brief 
justification of why this approach has been selected. 
4. Research methods and sampling strategy – describe in as much detail as possible 
the way in which the data are to be collected (e.g. surveying smallholder tree 
farmers, measuring trees) and the information that needs to be collected. 
5. Expected results/outputs – briefly outline the expected results of the activity, how 
these will be used, and their significance to the overall project outputs (see Table 3.2 
in the Project Document) 
6. Links with other project activities – clearly identify the links that this activity has with 
other project activities. Will the data be collected in conjunction with other project 
activities (e.g. with the survey of tree farmers; with the collection of physical data 
from tree farms)?  Will this project activity draw on data collected from other activities 
(e.g. financial modeling will rely on growth estimates from Activity 2.2)?  Will this 
project activity feed into other project activities? 
7. Discussion – this section can be used to highlight any important issues associated 
with the research activity. For example, particular challenges or issues associated 
with the collection of data and options for overcoming these challenges. Also, you 
could highlight other ways the data could be analysed to value add the project, 
suggest potential student projects etc. 
 
Background papers 
These papers were more general in nature and summarised existing information that relates 
to the specific project activity. These papers were generally led by the people who had 
undertaken the previous research. 
 
 
 
 
 
Project Planning Workshop Overview and Objectives 
 4 
JOINT DATA COLLECTION 
 
Many project activities either feed into or draw upon data collected in other project activities. 
Importantly, there are a number of data collection activities that provide information for two 
or more project activities. The success of the project is thus dependant upon effective joint 
collection of data. 
 
Four main areas of joint data collection will be (1) interviews with tree farmers, (2) 
biophysical data from tree farms, and (3) studies of the impact of extension activities and (4) 
the workshops with DENR staff and other key stakeholders. There are a number of project 
activities which will draw on data collected by one or more of these areas. We thus need to 
ensure that each of these can meet multiple purposes. Below is a first pass at identifying the 
main types of information that will be collected. 
 
1. design of questionnaire used in interviews with smallholder tree farmers 
a. experiences with tree registration 
b. access to markets 
c. sources of information, and what info req’d (to guide extension work) 
d. level of knowledge of silviculture (can be used as a baseline for assessing the 
effectiveness of extension activities) 
 
2. data to be collected at each of the tree farm sites 
a. growth models (e.g. ht, diam, taper) 
b. timber quality (e.g. branching, form) 
c. biodiversity (other plant species, birds) 
d. site characteristics (e.g. soil type, soil profile?, N?, P?) 
 
3. Data to be collected to assess impact of extension 
a. current access/use to information and changes to access/use 
b. current levels of registration and changes 
c. attitudes about need for pruning, good site prep. and planting material 
 
4. DENR workshops 1 and  2 
a. problems with and strategies to improve the implementation of current policies 
b. ways of providing information about tree registration to smallholders and LGUs 
c. ways to apply project results to improve policy relating to smallholder forestry 
d. improved extension materials and their mechanisms for distribution 
 
REFLECTIONS ON THE WORKSHOP 
 
The planning workshop was highly successful. The field visits at the start of the program 
provided a very useful shared understanding of the key issues to be addressed in the project 
and also highlighted some important practical considerations such as the need to better 
understand the log quality requirements of processors (e.g. minimum straight log length and 
diameter). 
 
The two days of formal presentations on project activities generated much discussion and 
interaction between team members. The presentations were generally of a very high 
standard and almost all were very well focused on the assigned topic. It is expected that 
many journal articles will be generated from these presentations, with the papers presented 
in this proceedings being the first draft of those papers. Many informal discussions were held 
outside of the formal program and highlighted the benefits of holding the workshop at a 
venue separate to LSU and where participants also could share meals. 
 
Improving Financial Returns to Smallholder Tree Farmers in the Philippines 
 5 
The detailed planning discussions held on Thursday 17 February were a highlight of the 
workshop. The shared understanding of the project generated by the previous activities (field 
visits, workshop presentations) allowed for vigorous informed discussions amongst project 
members.  There was a was a high level of participation from Filipino and Australian team 
members and much progress was made in the planning of project activities. In particular the 
ground work was laid for developing the sampling frame to be used for selection of tree farm 
sites. 
 
The field visits on Friday 18 February provided very useful information about the market 
requirements for timber. Importantly, the visit to a large mill on Cebu revealed that there was 
a large potential market for timber from Leyte but that certain criteria had to be met (i.e. 
minimum volumes per shipment, flitches to be cut by circular saws rather than chainsaws). A 
visit to an operation that bought rough sawn flitches to be dried and then resold revealed that 
that operation had buyers who were willing to travel to Leyte to purchase timber and that 
transport costs would be modest from Leyte to Cebu.  
 
Overall the workshop was an outstanding success. Much progress was made in the detailed 
planning necessary for the project to succeed. The workshop resulted in team members 
having a shared vision for the project and a much improved understanding of how the 
various elements of the project fit together. In addition, plans were made for various follow 
up activities including a policy workshop with DENR in April and a visit to train field crews in 
April/May.   
 


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