Prerequisites for forest management

Wiryono , Bengkulu | Tue, 04/08/2008 11:52 AM | Opinion

Indonesia is not only rich in biodiversity, but it also has a rich history as a preeminent producer of wood. In the late 1970s, the country's expansive forests formed the foundation for Indonesia to become the world's biggest supplier of tropical wood.

In the early 1990s, around 580 forest concession companies operated in Indonesia, making it one of the biggest exporters of plywood. However, the golden era of forest exploitation has passed.

Over exploitation of forests due to illegal logging has resulted in a tremendous rate of deforestation. The average rate of deforestation between 1982 and 1990 was 0.9 million hectares per year, increasing to 1.8 hectares per year between 1990 and 1997.

When the New Order regime collapsed in 1998 and the government became weaker, illegal logging went rampant and consequently deforestation peaked to 2.8 million hectares annually before lowering again in 2000. Last year, environmental activists accused Indonesia of having the highest rate of rain forest depletion in the world.

As a biological resource, forests are renewable. After harvesting, forests regenerate, either naturally or by artificial means, including soil enrichment. In wet tropical climates like Indonesia, foresters don't have to work hard to grow forest. Even laymen easily notice that unattended land will soon be colonized by wild plants and, within a few years, turn into shrub land.

Given sufficient time, usually several decades, the shrub land will grow into forest. Based on this ecological principle, a system of "silviculture" was established for forests outside of Java to ensure their perseverance.

A forest concession area is divided into 35 blocks, with one block allowed to be cut per year. Only trees with a diameter larger than 50 cm can be cut. The smaller trees are left for 35 years until the next harvest, with an assumption that their diameters would increase by as much as 1 cm a year. If natural regeneration is considered insufficient, then enrichment planting can be implemented in open spaces, especially in those formerly used as timber collection areas.

But this simple system does not work. How come? It doesn't work simply because it is incorrectly applied. Many concession companies do not obey the rules.

In many areas, illegal logging is so blatant that we can logically conclude that all related authorities are involved. Authorities are used to receiving grafts from illegal loggers, while even companies that harvest the forests legally are forced to pay bribes to those in charge, or their work will be hindered and they will not be able to transport their wood from the logging sites.

Illegal logging is not the only problem in forest management. Even worse than illegal logging is forest encroachment, which usually occurs as a result of illegal logging.

While illegal logging only removes trees from the forest, encroachment actually removes the forest land itself, making any kind of regeneration impossible.

As the population in rural areas grows, so does the need for agricultural land, and forest land usually makes way, being cleared and converted into plantations. Now, with the price of palm oil on the rise, the pressure of encroachment on forests is even stronger.

Forest rangers, limited in numbers and ill-equipped, will never be able to protect their forests from encroachment, especially when preventive measures require the authority of strong men from the business world and the government.

Looking back over the 25 years since its establishment, it is clear the Forestry Ministry has failed to consistently manage its forests and that it will be unable to do so in the future. Our country's failure in managing its forests is mirrored in many of our other natural resources.

The writer holds a PhD in ecology from The Ohio State University and is currently serving as head of the Department of Forestry at the University of Bengkulu. He can be reached at wiryonogood@yahoo.com.

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