Rehabilitation of degraded forest with Shorea leprosula and S. selanica cuttings

Komatsu Ltd. and the Forest and Nature Conservation Research and Development Center (FNCRDC) of the Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia have developed a cutting propagation technique for dipterocarp species. This technique uses a fog-cooling system to lower the temperature inside cutting boxes in a greenhouse. This method is suitable for mass production of vegetative propagules of some dipterocarps species. Rooting percentage of S. leprosula and S. selanica (meranti) cuttings was 95% and 92% respectively during the experimental stage, and 67% at mass production stage. The planting stock production of the dipterocarp cuttings in 1997 and 1998 were 42 000 and 53 000 respectively. Reforestation of degraded forest by using these dipterocarp cuttings was studied on 70 ha trial plot in West Java. Planting stock from cuttings and seedlings of S. leprosula and S. selanica were planted at various spacings. Preliminary results indicated that at this site S. selanica grows better than S. leprosula, planting stock from cuttings of both species performed better than planting stock from seedlings, and closer spacing resulted in better growth and survival. These findings suggest that planting stock from cuttings can be used to reforest degraded forest.