Forest fires mostly in 'plantation areas'
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Forestry announced yesterday that the forest fires, which hit Sumatra and Kalimantan, mostly took place in plantation areas.
Director General of Inventory and Forest Land Use Sumahadi said the fires occurred during land clearing activities and spread to other areas due to a lack of control.
"The fires were mostly caused by human carelessness," he said in a press briefing.
He said that as of Sept. 28, 45.95 percent of hot spots were located in plantation areas, 15.49 percent in productive forests, 24.27 percent in brush and peat areas, 8.51 percent in timber estate areas, 4.58 percent in protected forests and 1.20 at transmigration sites.
Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo said Monday that 97,700 hectares of forest had been destroyed, including 70,000 hectares of productive forest, 15,000 hectares of timber estates and 26,000 hectares of protected and conservation forests.
He said the financial loss of timber estates amounted to Rp 45 billion (US$11.8 million) given an average value of Rp 3 million per hectare.
Sumahadi said that the ministry had taken necessary steps to combat the fires, by setting aside Rp 2.8 billion for the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, which was attempting to seed clouds to extinguish the fires.
He said the ministry was also using Rp 3.1 million of the reforestation fund to handle the fires.
He said the ministry, in cooperation with the Indonesia Forestry Society -- a group of major forestry and plantation firms -- and the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires, had also provided 500,000 masks for people in the affected areas.
The ministry has also revoked 166 wood-use permits held by various companies after they failed to present documents disproving allegations they started the brush and forest fires.
Agriculture Minister Sjarifudin Baharsjah said yesterday the atrocious forest fires had burnt about 121,626 hectares of plantations in many parts of the country.
He said 32,919 hectares of the affected plantation had been the result of land clearing, while the remaining 88,707 hectares of existing plantations were burned.
Affected plantations included 45,043 hectares of 1 to 5 year- old oil palm plantations, 3,926 hectares of hybrid coconut plantations, 3,958 hectares of rubber plantation, 43,2 hectares of cocoa and 35,736 hectares of other kinds of plantations, he said.
Fires had also razed 730.5 hectares of agricultural plantations including 209 hectares of paddy field, 1.5 hectares of second crops planted during the dry season, and 520 hectares of vegetables, fruits and flowers plantations, he said. (08/das)