President Jokowi Plants Trees with Local Communities in Humbang Hasundutan Regency

President Jokowi plants trees with local communities in Humbang Hasundutan regency, North Sumatra province, Thursday (02/03). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Laily Rachev)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Thursday (02/03) planted macadamia nut trees with local communities at Simangulampe village, Bakti Raja district, Humbang Hasundutan regency, North Sumatra province.

For the record, the macadamia nut tree is a type of non-timber forest product.

Director-General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation at Ministry of the Environment and Forestry Dyah Murtiningsih said in a statement that the tree planting activity is carried out in an area of 10 hectares using soil and water conservation techniques and agroforestry.

“We can see that the land here is so steep that we need to implement soil and water conservation [techniques] in the form of terracing,” Dyah said.

Dyah expressed hope that through this activity, the protected forest area around Simangulampe village can be well maintained. “Hopefully, the protected forest area will be well maintained, the erosion can be reduced or there will be no erosion, and the communities can benefit from the plant products from this forest rehabilitation. Since we are planting non-timber forest products, we can make use of the fruit products or other products,” Dyah added.

Similarly, Juwita Sitorus, a resident who is also a farmer at Simangulampe village, expressed hope that the tree planting activity can provide many real benefits for the surrounding communities, ranging from improving welfare to preventing floods.

“It is great so the Simangulampe community will progress, will be more prosperous. So, if trees are planted in these mountains, our area will be cooler, it can also prevent floods. We are in a mountainous area, so we are very happy with this program,” Juwita said.

Meanwhile, Togu Simorangkir, an environmental activist, expressed hope that this activity will have a long-term follow-up. The trees, Togu said, must be properly cared for to provide benefit. “So, the program should not end with the planting of the trees, but we must make sure the trees we plant are growing,” he underscored.

To ensure the continuity of this program, Head of the Asahan Watershed and Protected Forest Management Center (BPDASHL) Barumun Dwi Januanto Nugroho said that the BPDASHL has collaborated with the local communities and farmer groups to take care of the trees for the next three years.

“From the initial planning phase, from the initial phase, before we did the technical input, we have communicated it with the communities, in this case, it is with the farmer groups and it is a three-year cooperation,” Dwi said.  (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/UN) (FI/MUR)