Shorea leprosula: the most commercial trees to improve "Production-Natural Forest" productivity

Abstract

Deforestation rate in Indonesia is 1,8 million ha per year. This is due to low productivity of natural forest which is just 0,25 m[3[ ha[-1] year[-1] (compared with teak plantation forest: 8-10 m[3] ha[-1] year[-1]). Decrease in natural regeneration and forest plantation were caused by stand competition and limited of light in the forest floor. Efforts to improve production-natural forest productivity was by applying the Selective Cutting and Strip Planting (SCSP) system. This system made optimum open area (strip) which is suitable to maximize the growth of Dipterocarp species, especially Shorea spp as the most commercial trees in the natural tropical forest. This research aimed to analyze and created modeling of growth and yield of Shorea leprosula plantation in the SCSP system. The research was conducted on research plots of SCS in logged over – production natural forest of PT Gunung Meranti forest concession, Central Kalimantan Province. Analysis of data used growth modeling for even-aged forest. The result showed that mean annual increment of Shorea leprosula plantation at 2, 11 and 16 year olds were 1,06 cm year[-1]; 1,22 cm year[-1] and 1,31 cm year[-1] in diameters, respectively. Based on evenaged forest modeling, the first cycles of Shorea leprosula plantations was 32 year in the 125,14 m3 ha[-1] of logs (40 cm up of diameters), therefore Shorea leprosula plantations in the SCSP system could improve the natural forest productivity until 262,72 times. The SCSP system with Shorea leprosula plants is very applicable in the logged over-production natural forest to improve forest productivity.