The International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA) ranks Indonesia as the first rank for the largest collection of wood or Xylarium in the world.
“This year Indonesia is number 1 in the world for the largest collection of wood, this will be declared in Yogyakarta on September 23 by President Joko Widodo,” Head of the Center for Forest Products Research, Dwi Sudharto told Antara in Bogor, Monday (17/9).
Indonesia, as the largest megadiverse country in the world, has vast tropical forests. The biodiversity of tropical forests, among them, wood, amounts to approximately 4 thousand species.
According to Dwi, to broaden people’s understanding of the achievements achieved by Indonesia in collecting Indonesia’s most wood in the world, the Forest Product Research and Development Center, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) will carry out the exposure
“Tomorrow (Tuesday-red) we will describe the success of Indonesia as the world’s first rank for wood collection, at the Forest Products Research and Development Center,” he said.
In addition, the Center for Forest Products KHLK will also introduce automatic wood detection devices or AIKO. “This tool can identify wood automatically in seconds and accurately,” Dwi said.
Now to get world recognition is not easy. It takes a lot of effort from all parties. Because before, Xylarium Indonesia was ranked fourth in the world after the Netherlands, the United States, and Belgium.
At that time, Indonesia’s wood collection reached 67,864, while the Netherlands was 125 thousand, USA 105 thousand and Belgium 69 thousand. Thus, to win 150 thousand wood specimens are needed.
Collection of wood specimens was carried out with various efforts to invite companies in the forestry sector, both private and state-owned enterprises, the forestry service, and botanical gardens.
Until the wooden museum, production forest management center, as well as universities, and the general public to send wood specimens to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s Forestry Research and Development Center (KLHK).
“Wood specimens come from felled or fallen trees, and trees that are still standing,” Dwi said.
The making of wood specimens is carried out according to the method taught by the Forest Products Research and Development Center. Namely cutting wood slabs 7-8 cm thick, from the base or 130 cm from the base.
Then make notes about the wood that was taken. Timber specimens that have been taken must be recorded in serial number and local names on wood chips before being sent to the KLHK Forest Products Center. To store all Indonesian wood collections, Xylarium or the wood or Xylotheque library was built.