Forest fires mostly in 'plantation areas'

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)