Planting Teak, Harvesting Freshness

Selobanteng village in Situbondo regency, East Java, is known for its lush teak forests. For residents, teak trees are valuable assets and can be used as collateral to obtain delayed felling loans.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Forest in Selobanteng Village, Banyuglugur District, Situbondo Regency, East Java, Tuesday (29/3/2022).

Decky Suprapto, 38, a resident of Selobanteng village, Banyuglugur district, Situbondo regency, East Java, proudly shows off a row of teak trees on his farmland, Tuesday (29/3/2022). From the 83 teak trees, he has been able to get delayed felling credit (KTT) three times since 2016 with a total value of Rp 32 million (US$2,228).

“If at that time the teak was sold, sure, at most it could only be valued at Rp 15 million because it had not been sold for furniture. If they are big now and can be used for furniture, they can sell for hundreds of thousands of rupiah per tree,” said Decky.

For Decky, the KTT program from the Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) is very meaningful. He does not need to rush to sell or cut down his teak trees when he needs money to meet the needs of his family. He can simply make the tree as collateral for credit so that it can be sold when the tree is old enough to be harvested and has high economic value.

Also read:

> Farming for Food Sovereignty

> Revitalizing Kendari Bay

As a villager who depends on livestock husbandry and teak wood, Decky also plants gmilina (a five-year plant) in between the teak fields.

“So, if there is an urgent need, the tree to be cut is gmilina, not teak. As long as there is no urgent need, I will not cut the teak. This is for my children's savings," he said.

Decky is one of the hundreds of farmers in Selobanteng village who maintain and care for teak trees in the community forest. In total there are 2,220 hectares of community forest in the village with a total of 150,000 teak trees. Imagine how attractive the village is.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Decky Suprapto (38), a resident of Selobanteng Village, Banyuglugur District, Situbondo Regency, East Java, shows a teak tree that was pledged as collateral to obtain a delayed cutting credit (KTT) from the government.

Community forest conservation

Possibly no one thought in 2007 that the condition of the forest in the village was a source of concern because most of the land was barren. The head of Selobanteng village, Muttaha, said that at that time, even the air in the village was hot and the residents had water shortages. The water sources were nearly dry. Because it was so difficult to get water, residents were forced to line up to get water at night if they wanted to take a shower the next day.

In 2009, he communicated with Paiton Operation & Maintenance Indonesia (POMI) until the following year he received assistance in the form of teak seedlings as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility program. Based on an agreement with Paiton Energy, teak trees were not cut for nine years.

Forest conservation efforts were starting to pay off. In addition to the return of lush forests, in 2013, Selobanteng village won an award as a Forest Care Village at the Situbondo regency level. In 2016, it was Paiton Energy's turn to win the Indonesia Green Award through the Development of Community Forest Conservation Villages to Support Environmental Quality and Community Economic Welfare in Selobanteng Village. Over time, the problem of water shortages in the village gradually disappeared.

Also read:

> If the Forest is Damaged, The Lives of Residents will be Under Threat

The excitement of teak forest conservation was increasingly felt when the Environment and Forestry Ministry launched the KTT Program. The teak trees that were possible to be harvested in 2019 were not cut down because the residents chose to use them as credit collateral.

“Finally, the teak trees have not been cut down until now. The residents are also economically helped because they can keep making a living even without cutting down trees,” said Muttaha.

The forest in Selobanteng village is not only preserved. From the results of research conducted by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and BKT of the Purwodadi Botanical Garden, the existence of teak plants there is estimated to be able to absorb 3,852 tons of carbon.

“Basically the more trees are available, the greater the ability to absorb carbon. By planting trees, we can reduce the impacts of the greenhouse effect,” said Fatchur Rohman, a lecturer in biology at the State University of Malang.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Decky Suprapto (38), a resident of Selobanteng Village, Banyuglugur District, Situbondo Regency, East Java, shows a teak tree with a diameter of 31 centimeters that was pledged to obtain a delayed logging credit (KTT) from the government.

Fatchur, who was intensely monitoring the success of forest conservation in Selobanteng village, also saw a high biodiversity index. He has been monitoring the flora and fauna, especially those on the way to the five springs there.

People's awareness not to cut down trees in the forest cannot be separated from the role of POMI, which routinely provides assistance. It is trying to ensure that residents can continue to make a living even without cutting down trees.

Nurlaily Lavianti, an environmental specialist at POMI, said her party's involvement in environmental restoration in Selobanteng village is not without reason.

"From our environmental impact analysis [Amdal], the biggest wind direction was toward Selobanteng village. That was why we went to the village to carry out monitoring and disaster mitigation here," she said.

The water source is no longer dry and residents can enjoy the tranquility of the forest and the abundance of clean air.

Even though the field survey there did not find any dust left over from the Paiton electricity generation process, according to Nurlaily, there was nothing wrong with disaster mitigation. That was why in 2009, the team started doing research and a year later the company's social responsibility funds were disbursed in the form of providing teak tree seedlings. This type of tree was adapted to the wishes of the community.

"We didn’t just provide seedlings. We carry out regular annual monitoring. The seedlings’ yields when viewed from the satellite in 2014 could reach 63 percent. The carbon stock that could be absorbed here was also measured every five years. Monitoring and assistance continue to this day so that the program can be sustainable and better in the future," she said.

The results of the collaborative environmental conservation efforts in Selobanteng village are starting to be felt by the residents. They are no longer worried about landslides, such as what has occurred in a neighboring village where the forest was denuded. The water source is no longer dry and residents can enjoy the tranquility of the forest and the abundance of clean air.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.