PROBLEMS OF FORESTS, THEIR EFFECTS AND

SOLUTIONS, AND THEIR CONCLUSION

BY :ARRUM CHYNTIA YULIYANTI

SMPN 2 OF PALANGKA RAYA

2005

Preface

An introductory course of our forests. There are many problems about the

forests in our country. For examples : forest fires and illegal logging. The

purpose of this report is to introduce the problems of our forests, the effect of

the problems, the solutions of the problems and its conclusions. Importance of

forests in addition to their comercial value as producers of wood products. The

forests help control climate by influencing the wind, temperature, humidity, and

rainfall. They add oxygen to the atmosphere and assist in the global recycling of

water, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. By regulating the downstream flow of

water, forests help control soil erosion, the amount of sediment washing into

rivers and reservoirs, and the severity of flooding. Forests also provide habitats

for organisms that make up much of earth’s genetic diversity. They also help

absorb noise and some air pollutants, and nourish the human spirit by providing

solitude and beauty.

August, 2005

Writter

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank :

For our God

For Mr. Herman, S.Pd

For our parents and all of our

friends.

Motto

Only God knows how tomorrow will be like for you

and for my life

List of Contents

Preface ....................................................................................................... ii

Acknowledgments and Motto ................................................................... iii

List of Contents .......................................................................................... iv

List of Tables .............................................................................................. v

List of Figures ............................................................................................ vi

PART ONE ........................... Problems of Forest ...............................

A. Forest Fires .................................................................................. 1

B. Illegal Logging ............................................................................. 4

PART TWO ........................ Effects of The Problems ..........................

A. Effects of forest fires ................................................................... 7

B. Effect of illegal logging ............................................................... 8

PART THREE ................... Solutions of The Problems ....................

A. Solutions of forest fires ............................................................... 9

B. Solutions of illegal logging ......................................................... 10

PART FOUR ................................. Conclusion ................................... 11

List of Tables

TABLES TITLES PAGES1. Sum of forest fires(in hectares) in Sumatra Island. 22. Sum of forest fires(in hectares) in Java and Bali Island. 23. Sum of forest fires(in hectares) in Kalimantan Island. 34. Sum of forest fires(in hectares) in Sulawesi Island. 35. Sum of hotspot in Central Kalimantan. 8

List of Figures

FIGURES TITLES PAGES1. Forest fires in Central Kalimantan on July, 2005. 22. Forest fires in Pekanbaru, Riau on Juny, 2005. 33. Forest fires in Central Kalimantan on August, 2005. 44. Illegal woods on Katingan River, Central Kalimantan. 55. Illegal woods in Sampit, Central Kalimantan. 56. Illegal woods on Katingan River, Central Kalimantan. 67. 51 illegal woods on Katingan River on July, 9th, 2005. 10

PART ONE

Problems of forest

A. Forest Fires

Forest fires is a problem always happen every year in our country when

the dry season comes but until now, government can’t solve this problem and

find the way out. The weather is hot and it makes the fire bigger. Then fire

sweeps through the forests like is happening in Kalimantan and Sumatra islands.

It happens besause many people want to clean their land for build house

or another building but when they suppressed the fire, they didn’t burn it totally.

This problem causes forest fires always happen everywhere. For examples in

Riau, West Kalimatan, Jambi, North Sumatra, and Central Kalimantan.

Natural forest fires in Indonesia are rare. Most of them are the result of

human activity. The last decade in Indonesia has seen an unprecedented increase

in fire events. These frequent and intense blazes have decimated forests,

releasaed huge amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the

atmosphere and caused immense clouds of unhealthy smoke and haze.

Forest exploitation and the conversion of natural forest to large-scale

plantations mean that what were once fire-safe ecosystems are now prone to

intense and uncontrollable blazes. Plantation companies illegally use fire to clear

their land for crops like Palm Oil, which is an ingredient in cosmetics, soaps,

margarine and other processed foods.

Industrial or illegal logging also weakens forest systems. Heavily logged

areas allow fires to spread quickly, and the intense heat created is sometimes

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enough to ignite underlying peat beds. Peat bog fires are almost impossible to

control, as they burn underground. Conditions are worsened by a cyclical

weather system that brings drought to Indonesia.

FIGURE 1.

Two sons across the land that have burned because forest fires in dry season last month.

.

Table 1. Extent of forest fires in Sumatra Island on 2005.

No. Province Area (Ha ) Loss (Rp)1. Riau 2,211.85 72,371,300.002. Jambi 212.00 9,113,993.003. South Sumatra 10,983.53 86,342,100.004. Lampung 7,137.30 45,311,900.00

Table 2. Extent of forest fires in Java and Bali Island on 2005.

No. Province Area (Ha) Loss (Rp)1. West Java 301.09 8,400,000.002. Yogyakarta 300.00 8,000,540.003. East Java 2,089.89 12,225,750.004. Bali 34.52 4,500,000.00

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Source : Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation.

FIGURE 2.

Forest fires in Riau on Juny, 2005 and cause the dense fog.

Table 3. Extent of forest fires in Kalimantan Island on 2005.

No. Province Area (Ha) Loss (Rp)1. West Kalimantan 8,265.92 13,870,000.002. Central Kalimantan 423.50 9,300,000.003. East Kalimantan 33.25 8,000,000.00

Table 4. Extent of forest fires in Sulawesi, Maluku, and

Papua Island on 2005.

No. Province Area (Ha) Loss (Rp)

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1. North Sulawesi 600.00 1,200,000.00 2. Central Sulawesi 900.00 1,000,000.00 3. South Sulawesi 1,305.25 3,110,000.00 4. Maluku 140.95 250,000.00 5. Papua 200.00 400,000.00Source : Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation.

FIGURE 3.

The fire sweeps through a forest on jalan Palangka Raya-Pulang Pisau on August, 5th, 2005.

B. Illegal Logging

Illegal logging is logging the woods of forest or cut down the trees in the

forest without letters, documents, and without agreement from government.

Illegal logging often happen in Kalimantan island especially in West

Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. Because there were much forests, the

loggers used it with a wrong step (illegal logging). Indonesia get a lost of its

forests 4 millions hectares everyday.

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In our country, the illegal logging laws is mentioned in President’s

Instuction number 4 of 2005. Many wood loggers only want to get a profit

without keep the forest and member with the effect of their activities ( steal the

woods in forest ).

FIGURE 4.

8 cubics of illegal woods found in Tangkiling, Central Kalimantan on July, 19th, 2005

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FIGURE 5.

The biggest illegal woods finding on Katingan River, Centtal KalimantanOn July, 13th, 2005.

FIGURE 6.

One of trucks brought illegal woods in Sampit, Central Kalimantanon June, 2005.

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PART TWO

Effects of The Problems

A. Effects of Forest Fires

Many effects from this problem, among of them causes smoke and fog.

Mega-fire events can burn millions of hectares. The immense fires thet blazed in

Indonesia throughout 1997 until 1998 are estimated to have destroyed at least 10

million hectares. This included valuable habitat for rare and endangered species

like the Proboscis Monkey, Orangutan and the Sun Bear. The smoke and fog

produced during forest fire events decreases the amount of sunlight and induces

respiratory problems in wildlife. Forest fires also impact on insects and fruit

trees, disrupting the food chain for predators and other species. Wildlife are

more likely to come into conflict with human populations when they flee

burning forests or are forced out to look for new habitat or food sources.

In West Kalimantan the smoke and fog have spread until Malaysia and

causes a protest from people in Malaysia. Smoke and fog cause Sub Acute

Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) disease. Forest fires cause many popullations in

forest die and have lost their habitat too. Large fire events can also create acid

rain conditions, further damaging forest habitat. Besides impacts on habitat and

wildlife, forest and especially peat swamp fires release huge amounts of

greenhouse gas pollution into the atmosphere.

The impact on human communities is severe. During the worst forest fire

events in 1997-1998 and 2001-2002, smokefrom burning forests combined with

industrial pollution to form a noxious haze that spread to six neighbouring

countries. Thousands in Indonesia were hospitalized for asthma, bronchitis,

pneumonia and other respiratory ailments as well as nosebleeds, skin and eye

problems. There are also fears for the long term impacts on the estimated 75

millions people affected by the haze, which could include increased rates of

heart, lung, brain, eye and skin disorders over the next decade. The dense smoke

and fog can disturb our activities in schools and offices too. The smoke of forest

fires contain with danger gasses. For examples : dioxine, mcarbon dioxide,

sulphir dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

TABLE 5. Sum of hot spot in Central Kalimantan until August,

8th, 2005 based on National

Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

No. Regency/town Capital City Sum of Hot Spot1. West Kotawaringin Pangkalan Bun 222. Seruyan Kuala Pembuang 83. East Kotawaringin Sampit 34. Pulang Pisau Pulang Pisau 25. North Barito Muara Teweh 26. South Barito Buntok 5

B. Effects of Illegal Logging

One of the effects of this problem is cause soil erosion. The trees of forest

help absorb the water and control the soil erosion. The processes by which earth

and rock materials are loosened or dissolved and moved from place to place is

called soil erosion. The trees add oxygen to the atmosphere. If all of the trees in

forest have cutting down, it will cause soil erosion, landslide, flooding, the hole

in ozon layer will bigger, and many popullations will die.

PART THREE

Solutions of the problem

A. Solutions of Forest Fires

Many solutions can solve this problem. Indonesian Forum For

Environment (WALHI) estimated the economic impact of the 1997 fires alone

would be a $US 3.15 billion loss. The fires affected food crops, transport and

tourism, as well as causing traffic and even an aeroplane accident. Diplomatic

relations between Indonesia and neighbouring contries were also tested when

clouds of smoke and fog spread to Malaysia, Singapore and as far as Australia.

We can help WALHI to keep our forests and protect our forests from

forest fires with :

Run public appeals to help communities directly affected by forest fires,

provide information about the dangers of smoke haze and face masks,

which can give some limited protection.

Work to stop the use of fire for land clearing. Present laws allow

companies to use fire to clear areas for forestry and plantations, as long

as they are not causing large amounts of pollution. It is also difficult to

prove a fire was deliberately started when companies tell lies that fires

were begun by natural causes.

Lobby for policy to govern forest fires management at national,

provincial and local district levels.

For keep our healty from smoke and fog, we can use maskers

everywhere.

Not dispose of cigarette on the grasses or forests.

B. Solutions of Illegal Logging

The wood loggers should use tree harvesting and regeneration method and

bring the document. The tree harvesting and regeneration method is a selective

cutting. Selective cutting is an intermediate-aged or mature trees, either singly or

in small groups in a forest stand, are cut at intervals to encourage younger trees to

grow and produce an uneven-aged stand with trees of different species, ages, and

sizes that over time will regenerate itself.

FIGURE 7.

51 thousands illegal woods found on Katingan River.

If the harvest is limited too much, however, there may not be enough

commercially desirable timber produced to make the process economically

feasible. In addition, the need to reopen roads and trails periodically for selective

harvests can cause erosion of certain soils.

We can prevent the illegal logging with do the protecting for environment

campaign programs. A reboisation can solve a little of this problem too. No one of

illegal loggers do the reboisation. Many illegal loggers smuggle the woods and

arranged them become a raft.

PART FOUR

Conclusion

From this report we can conclude that our forests are very important and we

must care the forests and prevent the forest fires and illegal logging. Because

forest fires and illegal logging have many effects. Forest fires always happen in

dry season. It cause smoke and fog, some popullation will die, and cause Sub

Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) disease because smoke of forest fires

contain of danger gasses. Illegal logging cause bald forests, soil erosion,

landslide, flooding, and the hole in ozon layer will bigger.

To prevent forest fires we must stop the use fire for land clearing and we

must prevent the illegal logging too. We can prevent the illegal logging with do

the protecting for environment campaign programs and if the illegal logging

happened, we can protect the forests from soil erosion and flooding with

reboisation.