Category: News From The Field

At the end of the Hot Season, people in Cibening village start to open the land for agriculture by burning the grass or any wild plants. This traditional method is still being used although it has been forbidden, the high cost of manual method is one of their consideration.

Opening the land by burning the grass is dangerous, because people can not ontrol the fire and it will create a big fire. Fortunately, there is no fire in Cibening village this year because people are very careful when they open the land. Goldteak’s workers always give information to people how to open the land with a good way, friendly environment. Open the land by “Gotong Royong” method, all people hand in hand together opening the land without pay.

Rainy season is already seen, it rains several times this week. The soil looks wet and the air is fresh.

This time, Jon’s and Adi’s visit is related with the thinning plan. After
checking the trees in Bumisari, it will be considered whether do thinning or
let the trees grow naturally. So far, it is already decided that the thinning
will be done in Cibening.

Last month, the calculation of the trees and the diameter has been
completed, so we know the condition of the trees. The first thinning will be
done for one hectare and it will be a trial for the next thinning. Then, there
will be determined the location of the temporary saw mill, to cut and to dry
the wood. Although the result will be small quantity but still need a market
to sell the wood.

Walking among the Teak trees feel cool, the wind blow slowly and the dried
leave fall down and cover the land, it looks brown. Hot season has started
last month when it rained very seldom. The trees has less leaves but we can
see the flowers on the tree tops.

The workers already started to collect the seeds and young trees which
grow around the trees. They put the young trees in the nursery, and keep
the seeds in the jar.

After waiting for quite long time, this year Goldteak will do thinning for the
trees in Cibening. The guardians are measuring and calculating the trees,
they also give marks to select the trees to be cut.
It is a good time to do thinning after the rainy season ends, the land is not
wet and the road is dry, especially the bridge is already fixed so the truck
can bring the wood out from the plantation. We will know how many trees
are cut after calculating and measuring the trees is completed.
After thinning, the trees will grow better and faster because they will get
more sunlight and the soil will be more fertile. From thinning, the company
will get revenue as a part of capital return.

Two years ago, there was one tree falling because of thunder, it was eight years old already. After the the tree was cut into logs and planks, we dry it naturally under the sun for several weeks. From the surface, it looks the motif or patterns, not very tied but it is clear. To find out that the “Solomon Teak wood” has value, we need to make it as a product, so we decided to make a set of bar table and benches. The wood was taken to the wood smith who can make door/window frames, it takes about a week to make 3 pieces of furniture, one table and two benches.

The eight years old Solomon Teak now become a nice furniture with simple design so we can see the wood patterns, the product looks strong, simple but has aesthetic and value.

This year, the rainy season is predicted end in April, because rain still falls
heavily in March. Cibening village is located near the sea where the rainy
season ends earlier than other places.

There are two routines that the workers always do, cleaning the plantation
area from grass and cutting/pruning the branches which disturb the trees
growing.

Once a year, the workers give fertilizer for the trees in the pilot project area
and there are about 1000 trees in one Ha land.

The best time to give the fertilizer is in the end of the rainy season, after it
is absorbed for several weeks than the sun light will change it as a nutrition.

“There are two gifts we should give our children; one is roots, and the
other is wings” (Pinterest quote)

The routines are done every day by the workers, they cut the grass and branches which will
disturb the growth of the trees and the nutrition. In rainy season, the grass grow fast and the
workers should cut it more often. The grass grows faster in the area with more sunlight. The
workers use grass cutters and machetes to cut the grass and branches. With the grass cutters
and machetes, they can clean the area about two hectares perday. Rainy season almost ends but
the grass in some area still a lot, the workers work harder because they walk on the hilly and
slippery land.

“Different fields, different grasshoppers; different seas, different fish”
(Indonesian proverb)

In January and February , rain falls heavily almost every day. It rains during
the day or night or all day long. Land is wed and muddy, water flows to the
lower place and covers ditches beside the road. The cold morning does not
stop the workers to go to the plantation but when it rains hard they stop
working and wait at the shelter and drink coffee to warm them. Although
they wear boots and raincoats, they have to aware of lightning and walk on
slopes.

The trees are whither during the hot season and turn green when it starts
raining. The new leaves grow on branches and twigs, the trees have big
canopy and cover the land. The hill looks green from the distance.

“Even though the forest is dense, water flows through it freely” (Taoist Proverb)