Former CFES Dean is named outstanding professional forester in the region

Dr. Dennis P. Peque, a professor and former dean of the VSU College of Forestry and Environmental Science (CFES), is hailed as an Outstanding Professional Forester for Region VIII by the Society of Filipino Foresters, Inc. (SFFI).

SSFI recognized Dr. Peque’s efforts and contributions in leading and advocating for several impactful research projects focused on forest restoration, climate resilience, and sustainable land use that contributed to community development. 

The #ProudViscan Forester was accorded recognition during the 2024 National Conference of SFFI on October 24, 2024, at Cagayan de Oro City.

SFFI is the only accredited integrated professional organization of foresters in the Philippines recognized by the Professional Regulation Commission. It comprises 17 regional councils and one sectoral council, the Philippine Forestry Education Network.

Dr. Peque is instrumental in the future establishment of the Forest Products Innovation and Training Center at VSU, which is a national project of the Department of Science and Technology - Forest Products and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) to establish centers to boost local forest products.

His teaching spans critical forestry and environmental planning courses. In 2018, his team, the VSU FoRestaL (Forest Restoration and Livelihood) Advocates, won the Civil Service Commission’s Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award.

Since the 1990s, the FoRestaL Advocates have worked to restore forests by promoting quality seedlings and rainforestation methods to combat unsustainable farming, upland poverty, and forest loss.

Dr. Peque also served as the director of the Regional Climate Change Research and Development Center and head of the Department of Forest Science, where he handles important undergraduate and graduate forestry courses. 

He recently participated and presented his paper on “Establishing biomass and carbon stocks or rare tree species in remnant forests using inventory data” at the 6th University Consortium Faculty Forum in Malaysia in August.

He finished his doctorate degree in forestry at the University of Göttingen in Germany through the German Academic Exchange Service and placed in the top 8 of his licensure examination in 1995.

This article aligns with Sustainable Development Goals No: 4 (Quality Education), 13 (Climate Action), and 15 (Life on Land).

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