Wood Biomass Plantation in Central Java

Forestry cooperation can support not only conservation and restoration, but also the development of forest-based production systems. In Central Java, Korea and Indonesia explored this approach through a pilot project focused on wood biomass plantation development.

The Development of Wood Biomass Pilot Plantation Project was jointly implemented by Perum Perhutani and the Korea Green Promotion Agency (KGPA), whose related functions were later transferred to the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute (KoFPI). The project ran from 2013 to 2022 in the KPH Semarang production-forest area in Grobogan, Central Java. Its main purpose was to establish a supply network for superior planting material and develop a biomass production system.

The project developed a 2,000-hectare pilot plantation using Gliricidia sepium as a source of raw material for wood-pellet production. According to KIFC project documentation, this area was considered the minimum scale needed to support production of around 50,000 tonnes of wood pellets per year. Gliricidia sepium was selected because of its fast growth, relatively high calorific value of around 4,800 kcal/kg, and strong productivity under a coppice system, which allows the trees to regrow after harvesting.

To support the plantation, the project also developed a nursery and training centre. The nursery covered around three hectares and was designed to produce approximately three million seedlings per year, while the training centre supported capacity building related to plantation and biomass development. The Korea–Indonesia Wood Biomass Nursery and Training Center was inaugurated on 26 February 2015.

Through these activities, the project connected nursery development, planting-material supply, plantation management, and capacity building within one pilot biomass production system. Although the project concluded in 2022, it remains part of the broader history of Korea–Indonesia forestry cooperation, showing how bilateral collaboration has also explored productive forest management and the development of wood biomass resources.