The ERDD has its headquarters at Maharlika, Bislig City.

Since 1974, the Bislig Forest Research station was created to perform its function in our forest ecosystem; as satellite research station of Forest Research Institutes (FORI). But in pursuant to the recommendation of FORI Inter-Agency Study group the former station was abolished and absorbed up the establishment of Dipterocarp Forest Research Center (DFRC) in November 23,1976. In 1976, Forest Research Institute created the Inter-Agency Group composed of representative from FORI, BFD, FORPRIDECOM, UPLBCF, and private sector to locate and recommend the establishment of research centers and experimental forest. Bislig, province of Surigao del Sur selected to be the most suitable place. An area of 10 hectares at

Coleto, now, Maharlika, Bislig, Surigao del Sur was delineated as office site. The experimental forest covering an area of 3,248 hectares was also established about 7 kms. from the office site. The area were formerly part of PICOP concession areas, but reverted to the administration of (FORI) ERDB by virtue of the MNR Administrative Order no. 1 series of 1979. The area was primarily established to serve as laboratory in the conduct of researches on dipterocarp forest. It is expected to yield information useful in formatting sound policies for the proper management of our dipterocarp forest and other ecosystem so as to attain the concept of sustainable forest management.

In 1979, some portion of the area was turn over to Bureau of Forestry SOME PORTION OF THE AREA WAS TURNED OVER TO THE Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) as office site and forest research Institute (FORI) research Station per MNR no. 1, S 1979 "Reserving and Establishing Portions of the forest land in Mambalili Agusan del Sur and Coleto Surigao del Sur as Experimental Forest and Research Station Site of Forest Research Institute. ." As follows, in 68th meeting of the Board of Trustees of FORI held on April 18, 1983 the merger/consolidation of FORI field units were deliberated and approved in order to refocus the research the research thrust , and one of those was the Eastern Mindanao Forest Research Center ( Formerly the DFRC). In July 26,m 1994, the management staff of the Philippine Dipterocarp Research and Development Center (PDRDC) was created in line with the goal to improve the productivity of the country's dipterocarp forest and with the agreement among the DENR, the Agency for Forest Research Development (AFRD) of Indonesia and the UNDP/FAO regional Project RAS/91/004 on "Improved productivity of man-made Forest for application of Technological Advances in Tree Breeding and propagation " or FORTIP , and recently the same office was merged into Ecosystem Research and Development Division (ERDD) of DENR Caraga Region.