BOGOR – Pakansari City Forest, Bogor, has begun to provide many benefits to the local residents, from economic to environmental aspects. The green area is a part of the Corporate Social Contribution (CSC) program from Korindo Foundation and Bogor Regency Government.
One of the positive impacts that have been felt is empowerment of the local communities. In managing Pakansari City Forest, Korindo Foundation engaged some residents to take part. They were involved in applying fertilizer, cutting lower branches, to controlling weeds that might disrupt the trees’ growth.
Hendrik (52 years old), one of the residents, said that he was happy to be involved in managing Pakansari City Forest. In addition to the extra income, this activity can be a platform to help preserve the environment around his residential area.
“I’m hapy to be able to help here,” said Hendrik, who regulary visits the city forest to check the plants’ growth.
In the future, Hendrik hopes that Pakansari City Forest will continue to grow, so it can provide many benefits for the local residents.
Pakansari City Forest is located in front of the Pakansari Stadium. Within this area, there is only one type of tree, namely Eucalyptus deglupta. The planting process began in 2019 on an area of 2 hectares (ha). As of February 2021, the number of trees that have been planted has reached more than 1,800 trees.
Secretary General of Korindo Foundation, Seo Jeong Sik said that Pakansari City Forest is proof of Korindo Group’s commitment to give contribution in environmental sustainability while also empowering the local communities.
Since the beginning, the management of the city forest has been carried out by involving the local community. At the same time, Korindo Foundation continues to monitor it regularly. “We engage some residents to manage it together,” Seo Jeong Sik said.
Intensive management has given a positive impact. Eucalytpus deglupta trees in Pakansari City Forest are growing well, especially the ones in the front area of the city forest. In fact, the growth of these several trees, which are known as the rainbow trees, has exceeded the target.
Seo Jeong Sik estimated that some trees have reached seven meters in height. “We set the target for the growth of these trees at five meters in one year, but many of them are already taller than that,” he said.
Apart from intensive management, many enviromental factors affected the large growth of the trees, such as sunlight and rain intensity.
Benefits of Pakansari Forest City that was also felt are the use of reed for animal fodder. At the back of the forest, there is an area with difficulties to absorb water, or what is known as a wet area. When the rain falls, water is often caught up around the trees and it affected the weeds to grow quickly.
Even though it has the potential to disrupt the trees’ growth, Korindo Foundation continues to carry out selective weed control. The goal is for the local residents to take advantage of it for animal fodder. “People who have goats or cows can cut grass here to feed their livestock,” Seo Jeong Sik said.
He added that there are still many potential benefits that can be felt from Pakansari City Forest. For example, when the trees grow prosperously, the area can function as a water absorption area since the roots of Eucalyptus deglupta trees are able to absorb large amounts of water.
On the other hand, Pakansari City Forest can also serve as a recreation area for its surrounding community. The leafy canopy of Eucalyptus deglupta allows visitors to have a jog or simply relax underneath. The tree’s colourful trunk adds a visual sense of comfort.
In this collaboration, Korindo Foundation will hand over Pakansari City Forest to Bogor Regency Government in November 2022. “So, for the first three years (2019-2021), we will manage it and we will hand it over to the district government in November 2022,” he said. (din/*)
