Aquilaria spp. are a group of aromatic plants of high commercial value with the products being called gubal gaharu and kamedangan. The high level of exploitation on this species has raised concerns on the population status and its conservation strategic. Cultivation is a mean of strategic step for the sustainable use of any wild harvest. A survey was conducted to evaluate the cultivation of agarwood trees and its condition in Bengkulu Province. A rapid assessment survey technique was conducted in April 2008 by visiting the agarwood (Aquilaria spp.) cultivation areas in Bengkulu. In depth interviews were made with the local farmers who had the agarwood trees cultivation. Diameter at breast height (dbh), height of agarwood trees, water content of freshly cut agarwood tree and agarwood chips formed by artificial inoculation process were measured. The results showed that cultivation of agarwood trees was initiated and coordinated by a local enterprise called CV. 88 since 2003. Until July 2008 the members had reached 29 farmers with total area covering 38 ha. No less than 5,000 agarwood trees were planted, whilst inoculation on natural agarwood trees had reached 53 ha. The perception on the meaning of cultivation was not accordance with the legislation concept; therefore, socialization on the legal concept was needed. The majority species being cultivated and those grow wildly in the plantation areas were Aquilaria microcarpa Baill. and A. malaccensis Lam. The average weight of inoculated agarwood chips was 18.79 grams/piece (Std.= 8.85) with the water contents of 11.2-12.97%, whilst water contents of freshly cut agarwood tree was 46.3%. Single agarwood tree at the height of 35 m and dbh of 118 cm could produce at least 637.65 kg of commercially dry chips (kamedangan).

The research was purposed to obtain information about the diversity of species of rattan in the Batu Kapar Protection Forest, North Gorontalo. Observation was done in a natural conservation area at Atinggola District . The rattans which were found in the study area were recorded and identified based on characteristics of leafsheath morphologies. Frequencies of each rattan species was calculated based on population density of each species at three levels of elevations. Rattan was sampled in a line sampling method. A total of 60 plots of 20mx10m were laid on the study area in different elevation.The result showed that 11 species of rattan were found based on local name. Some of them were then identified to their botanical or scientific name. Six species of total rattan speciesfound grew in clumps and five species grew solitary. The most dominant rattan speciesfound in the three level of elevation was Calamus ornatus var. celebicus Beccari (rattan of buku tinggi), with Important Value Index (IVI)of 30.94%, 29.39% and 30.95%, at 600 m above sea level (asl), 700 m asl, and 800 m asl, respectively. Elevation of 700m asl had the highest diversity index value (H’=1.0163) composed by 11 species, while elevation of 800 m asl had the lowest diversity index value (H’=0.9736) composed by 10 species. Composition similarity index value of Jaccard (ISJ) was less than 50%, meaning that overall similarity index value of species was relatively low.

Jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), as one of the alternative tree species for pulp and paper industry, may have a problem in the plantation. One of the problem is pest attack that can reduce the quality of stand. The aim of this research was to obtain information on the incidence of pest attacks and the damage level caused by defoliators on A. cadamba Miq.. The study was carried out at three locations, i.e. industrial plantation (HTI) Baserah sector, HTI Pelalawan sector, and smallholder plantation (HR). Five observation plots were established in each site (except for HTI Pelalawan sector with only two plots). Up to 100 trees were observed in each plot.. The results showed that on average the highest level of incidence of pest attacks occurred in HTI Baserah sector with the pests attacked were Arthochista hilaralis, Cosmoleptrus sumatranus, and bagworm (Pychidae). In HTI Pelalawan sector, the pests attacked were A. hilaralis, Coptotermes sp., and bagworm (Psychidae), whereas in HR the pests attacked were A. hilaralis, Cosmoleptrus sumatranus, and Dysdercus cingulatus. The highest level of damage caused by defoliators occurred in the Baserah sector (92.88%) and the lowest level was found in Pelalawan sector (40.5%). In HR the level of damage was 55.67%.

Behaviour of bayan sumba bird (Eclectus roratus cornelia Bonaparte) is necessarily observed to support the captive breeding in Hambala, East Sumba. This research aimed to identify the health, breeding ability, and
process of adaptation of the bird to new environment to find out about proper management of captive breeding. Bird’s behavior was directly observed in captivity. The research found that the bayan sumba bird in Hambala had four main behaviours consisting of 13 kinds activities. These behaviours were (1) moving consisted of flying, walking, fighting, and hanging activities, (2) idle consisted of perching, resting, and exposing himself to the sun activities, (3) ingestive covered eating, drinking, and cleaning up activities, and (4) mating consisted of approaching to attract a hen, touching head of hen (with his beak), and paying court to a hen activities. The averages of moving, idle, ingestive, and mating behaviour frequencies were 12.59, 16.5, 6.43, and 1.9 times respectively.

Management of forest is believed that many basic knowledges about the nature of the forest is needed. One of them is to develop the forest as a resource of cane industry in a sustainable way. For this purpose, the composition, distribution and density of rattan species in Gunung Halimun National Park (TNGH) were studied as a model. Data were collected from December 1994 until May 1995. For species composition on rattan in TNGH, three areas were observed namely in Mt. Kancana, Mt. Pameungpeuk and Mt. Pangkulahan using a continues belt transect method, from the elevation of 800 – 1,400 m above sea level. It was found that there were 13 species of rattans in the region. In terms of species richness and densities, Mt. Pameungpeuk comes first, followed bt Mt. Pangkulahan and Mt. Kancana. Calamus heteroides, C. Javensis, Daemonorops melanochaetes, and Plectocomia elongate are dominant both in seedling and nature forms. The nature rattans are relatively abundant in areas less than 1,000 meter above sea level and decrease in number of species as well as the minimal population in the higher altitude. Calamus ornatus grows well at 800-1,400 m asl., while Daemonorop ruber at 800-1,500 m asl., D.oblonga a 800-1,400 m asl

The fiber-plastic composites were made from the compounding of plastic (polypropylene) and sisal (Agave sisalana) fiber with or without addition of coupling agent (Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene). The tensile strength (Modulus of Elasticity-MOE, Modulus of Rupture-MOR) of the composites were evaluated in the three different conditions, i.e. air dry condition (control), 24 - hour immersion in cold water and 2-hour immersion in boiling water. The results showed that the addition of coupling agent enhanced the propertie of the composites. These propertie did not significantly change although the composites were immersed in cold water as long as 24 hours. However, immersion in boiling water for 2 hours, tended to dcrease MOR and MOE of the composites.

This study investigated the applicability of liquid medium in direct organogenesis of in-vitro culture of Melia azedarach L. Explants were collected from in-vitro multiplication originating from aseptically germinated seedling and from a 48 - years old mature tree. For adventitious shoot differentiation, 2 mm length of excised explants were cultured on liquid medium of MS (Murashige and Skoog's) basal medium supplemented with 28 combinations of hormone BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) and NAA (á- naphthaleneacetic acid). Differentiated shoots were subsequently cultured for shoot elongation in solid medium using MS basal medium supplemented with hormone BAP individually as well as in combinations with NAA. Finally, rooting culture were done using MS medium supplemented with IBA (3 indolebutyric acid). The results showed that the rate of shoot organogenesis of M. azedarach could be obtained through agitated liquid medium culture technique. The combination of hormone BAP 0.1-1 µM and NAA 0.01-0.1 µM are induced more adventitious shoot at a rate of 5 shoots / 2 mm length size of explants are transferring into rooting medium containing IBA 4.92 µM

Anisoptera costata Korth., which has a commercial name of mersawa grows and proliferates naturally, often gregarious, in semi-evergreen dipterocarp forest and evergreen forest in areas with seasonal climate and rare but widespread in lowland everwet forest from sea level up to 700 m in continental S.E. Asia, Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and Java (Ashton, 1982). In Java, it has been recorded to occur only in Banten (Backer & Bakhuizen van den Brink,1963) and in Leuweung Sancang Nature Reserve (LSNR) (Kalima, 2006).

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of five arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on the early growth of Alstonia scholaris (milkwood) seedlings. The seedlings were inoculated with Glomus clarum Nicholson & Schenk, Gigaspora decipiens Hall & Abbott, Glomus sp. ACA Tulasne & Tulasne, Entrophospora sp. Ames & Scheneider, and Glomus sp. ZEA Tulasne & Tulasne, and uninoculated (control) under greenhouse conditions. Percentage of AM colonization, plant growth, survival rate, mycorrhizal dependency (MD), shoot nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) concentrations were measured after 150 days. Survival rates were higher in the AM-colonized seedlings at 150 days after transplantation than those in the control seedlings. Mycorrhizal Dependency (MD) values were 80, 78, 79, 78 and 78% in A. scholaris inoculated with G. clarum, G. decipiens, Glomus sp. ACA, Entrophospora sp., and Glomus sp. ZEA, respectively. Shoot N, P, K, Ca and Mg content of the seedlings were increased by AM fungi as much as 82-86, 81-86, 81-86, 88-91 and 85-90%, respectively. The percentage of AM colonization of A. scholaris ranged from 64 to 91 %. Colonization by five AM fungi increased plant height, diameter, total fresh weight, total dry weight and total length root. Glomus clarum was more effective in improving nutrient content and plant growth of A. scholaris than G. decipiens, Entrophospora sp., Glomus sp. ZEA and Glomus sp. ACA. Total root length of A. scholaris ranged from 1,180 to 1,310 cm. The results suggest that AM fungi can accelerate the establishment of the seedling stocks of A. scholaris. This finding would contribute to the effort of establishing A. scholaris plantation.

Forest degradations have left vast amount of damaged and abandoned lands in Indonesia. In this paper, we present our approaches in rehabilitation of adverse soils using functional bacteria isolated from plant species of Indonesian tropical rain forests. For these purposes, we collected bacteria from various bio-geo-climatically different forests and conducted bioassays to test these bacterial abilities in improving plant growth. Repeated seedling-based studies on Shorea spp., Alstonia scholaris, Acacia crassicarpa, and Agathis lorantifolia have revealed that many bacteria were able to promote plant growth at early stage in the nursery. Various plant responses towards inoculations suggested that although forest soils maintain highly diverse and potent bacteria, it is necessary to select appropriate approaches to obtain optimum bene? ts from these plant-bacteria interactions. Our ideas and futures studies for further management of these plantbacteria interactions for biorehabilitation are also discussed.