Status of forest plantations

Introduction

The total hectarage of forest plantations in the country is shown in Appendix 2. This section (a) discusses the distribution of private forest plantations by state, (b) traces species inter-cropping, (c) traces the types of planting designs adopted and (d) highlights a few case studies on commercial tree planting by private investors.   

Year of forest plantation establishment, distribution and species choice

According to information released by the Forest Department, Peninsular Malaysia, forest plantations covered 74 022 ha in 2000. The data obtained by the survey conducted under this study indicate a slightly higher area of 75 672 ha for 2001. More than 15 000 ha were planted in 1988 and more than 10 000 ha in 1985, which is 20 and 15 percent of the total plantation areas, respectively. Most of the plantations were established during the first phase of the Compensatory Forest Plantation Programme between 1982 and 1988. Since 1989, annual planting rates have not exceeded 7 000 ha.

Source: Forest Plantation Division, FRIM and Survey Data (2002 ).

Figure 1. Areas planted under forest plantation projects, Peninsular Malaysia (1915-2001)

The figures in Table 3 and Figure 1 indicate that interest in planting forest species has changed over the years. Interest tended to increase whenever there was a campaign to plant trees and slowed down thereafter. The planting of sentang and teak increased immediately after FRIM organized a road show on the two species in 1996 and 1997. Planting rates declined the following year. In addition, planting rates were affected by the financial crisis that has slowed down economic growth across Southeast Asia since late 1997. The economic as well as political impacts of the crisis most likely explain the dramatic drop in planting rates since 1998.

The role that individual planters played in forest plantation development was as important as that of private companies (Table 4). For example, the total area planted by individuals until the end of 2001 was 11 823 ha (15.6 percent), whereas the area planted by companies was 11 404 ha (15.1 percent). What distinguishes the two private sector groups is the area planted individually, which usually is much larger for a company than for i ndividual planters. Johore, Pahang and Terengganu account for the largest area under forest plantations with more than 6 000 ha, 2 000 ha and 1 000 ha planted, respectively (Table 4).

Table 3. Year of forest plantation establishment (ha)

Year	Public	Private	Total
19151982	171	114	285
1983	-	910	910
1984	-	898	898
1985	7 746	3 421	11 167
1986	3 194	1 337	4 531
1987	4 374	1 320	5 694
1988	8 700	6 570	15 270
1989	6 359	-	6 359
1990	2 328	-	2 328
1991	5 305	-	5 305
1992	4 831	-	4 831
1993	2 894	-	2 894
1994	1 046	450	1 496
1995	1 939	823	2 762
1996	3 558	2 330	5 888
1997	-	3 134	3 134
1998	-	1 591	1 591
1999	-	245	245
2000	-	72	72
2001	-	12	12
Total	52 445	23 227	75 672

Table 4. Distribution of forest plantations (ha)

            Source: Forest Plantation Division, FRIM and survey data (2002).

Besides area planted, another important variable for assessing the wood supply and market potential of plantations is species distribution. In Peninsular Malaysia, the species preferred by all planters is obviously Acacia mangium. For example, of the 6 600 ha established in Johore, 6 470 ha were planted with Acacia mangium, whereas another 38 ha, 54 ha and 2 ha were planted with teak (Tectona grandis), sentang (Azadirachta excelsa), and sentang and rubber, respectively (Appendix 2). Of the 64 348 ha planted with Acacia mangium, 8 554 have been planted by private companies, 49 919 ha by government agencies and 5 875 ha by individual planters (Table 5).

Sentang and teak plantations cover an area of 3 676 ha and 3 107 ha, respectively (Table 6). With regard to other species (e.g. Khaya spp. and Araucaria spp.), the total area planted is too small to have an effect on the international timber market. The volume to be produced will be too small to effectively create a market for the species. It is probably also not economic to extract small quantities of timber because of the high logging and transport costs.

Table 5. Acacia mangium plantations by ownership in Peninsular Malaysia (ha)

Source: Forest Plantation Division, FRIM (2002).

About 30 percent of the plantations are located in Pahang (Table 6). Other states with considerable areas under forest plantations include Johore (20 688 ha), Selangor (10 161 ha), N. Sembilan (5 590 ha) and Terengganu (5 168 ha). The planting of forest species such as teak and sentang together with agricultural crops (e.g. rubber or oil palm) is low. For instance, the area inter-cropped with sentang and rubber totalled only 900 ha for all of Peninsular Malaysia. There is even less interest in inter-cropping with oil palm, durian, teak and other species.

Table 6. Distribution of plantations by selected species in Peninsular Malaysia, 2001 (ha)

Source: Forest Plantation Division, FRIM and Survey (2002).

Timber production from forest plantations

A discussion on the development of forest plantations would be incomplete without considering the production of timber derived from the plantations. According to official statistics (Table 7), forest plantations were able to produce timber only on two occasions, namely in 1997 (35 030 m³) and 1998 (26 556 m³) (Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia 2001). There is no information on species and the destination of logs for further processing. Assuming a 15-year rotation, the total documented production probably consisted of Acacia mangium only, which was planted as early as 1985.

Trees planted in 1988 have not been felled, as they are only between 12 and 13 years old. Even fast-growing species such as Acacia mangium will not be logged before 2004. Slower-growing species such as sentang and teak will not be logged before 2008 (Ahmad Zuhaidi et al. 1997) and the volumes obtained in the first years of logging can be assumed to be quite low. Hence, with regard to wood production forest plantations will continue to play an insignificant role compared to production from natural forests in the foreseeable future.

Table 7. Production of logs from forest plantations by state in Peninsular Malaysia (m³)

Source: Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia (2001).

Note: * Blank space indicates no production.

 

Planting design

To date, forest plantations consist of single species or are mixed with agricultural crops, such as rubber and oil palm. In some cases forest species are planted as perimeter crops rather than as the main crop. Forest species usually are planted as perimeter crops on land that is either too steep – to reduce soil erosion and prevent landslips – or not fertile enough for agricultural crops. Examples of forest species planted as monocrops include Acacia mangium, teak, Khaya sp. and sentang. Species planted as mixed and perimeter crops include rubber, sentang, teak and oil palm.

The planting design is related closely to the arrangement of the crops planted. It can be triangular or square. The tree arrangement and the distances between trees depend on terrain characteristics and soil type. The recommended spacing for sentang, if planted as a monocrop, is 4 x 3 m (Figure 2), and as a hedge or perimeter it is 3 x 3 m (Figure 3).

X	X	X	X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	X	X	X

Figure 2. Planting of sentang as a monocrop (4 x 3 m)

Source: Ahmad Zuhaidi et al. (1997).

                                                                        22 m               

O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O
O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O
O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O
O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O
O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O
O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O
O	O	X	X	X	X	O	O

Figure 3. Planting of sentang as a hedge or perimeter (3 x 3 m)

Note: X represents sentang, and O represents Hevea trees.

Source: Ahmad Zuhaidi et al. (1997).

If sentang is planted as a monocrop, the common spacing in addition to 3 x 3 m and 3 x 4 m is 2 x 2 m, 3 x 8 m (Tables 8 and 9). A planting distance of 2 x 2 m is not recommended, as the ratio between height and stem diameter for a sentang tree is usually more than one. Trees that have a height-to-diameter ratio of one are usually more stable and are not blown down easily by strong winds (Ahmad Zuhaidi et al. 1997).

Table 8.  Some common spacings for the planting of sentang in Peninsular Malaysia

n.a. –  not available

Table 9. Common spacings for the planting of sentang and rubber in Peninsular Malaysia

n.a. –  not available

Case studies

A private company

The first case study involves a respondent from the southern state of the peninsula. He was optimistic about forest plantations. Originally, the respondent planted Maesopsis eminii on 96 ha. His optimism has encouraged his company to extend the plantation area with the same species.

For plantation related activities the company employs about seven management staff and five contract workers. The main plantation management objective is income generation. The company has faced various challenges, such as shortage of land and labour, and uncertainty of the market price for the final product, i.e. logs. To ensure profitability, the trees will be cut when they are 10 years old. Maesopsis eminii was chosen because it is fast growing and exhibits a uniform growth. This means that the rotations can be short and the final crop volume is more predictable than other species.

The planting distance chosen for Maesopsis eminii was 4 x 4 m. Measurements taken during the field visit indicated that the average diameter was 15.4 cm and the average height was 8.1 m. The largest diameter recorded was 20.5 cm. Trees were about three years old. The excellent growth performance is probably because the area used to be a fruit orchard. The gentle slope of between six and 15 percent, together with a sandy-loamy soil type also makes the site suitable for tree planting.

Nitrogen phosphate (nitrophoska) 15-15-15 and Sunbear 12-12-17 fertilizers were applied several times. Ease of application, low price and availability in the market were reasons for selecting these two fertilizers. Roundup Transorb was used as a herbicide. Weeding, climber cutting and fertilizer application were carried out during the first several years after tree planting (i.e. between year 1 and year 4). These activities are crucial for seedlings to establish a root system and adapt to the new environment. The excellent growth noted also indicates that managing the planted species from seedlings promises a better output at the end of the planting period.

Individual planters

Individual planters are persons who plant trees on a small piece of land (0.4 ha or less). Usually, these so-called forest plantations are located close to the owners’ homes and management is on a part-time basis. However, some individual planters are fully occupied by forest plantation activities. For such planters, the growth performance of their trees has been encouraging.

The two respondents selected for the case study came from Johore. Both had chosen teak as the main species. They owned forest plantations of 4 ha and 8 ha, respectively. Most tasks are performed by the respondents themselves. The first respondent indicated that he needed at least one day per month to take care of the plantation, while the second respondent (the planter with slightly more than 8 ha) spends approximately five days per month looking after his plantation.

Similar to other private planters, the main objective of these respondents in tree planting was to generate additional income. They did not view shortage of land, marketing of final products, procurement of seedlings, species selection, planting skills and other related issues as problems; limited land availability may constrain extension of the plantations.

The respondent with the 4 ha plot that was planted in 1995 reported that the average height and stem diameters were 16 m and 16 cm, respectively. The second planter indicated a similar average height of 16 m and a slightly lower average diameter of 13 cm. This slightly lower average diameter is to be expected because the trees were one year younger. The planting distances of the respondents with 4 and 8 ha plots were 3 x 2.4 m and 3.8 x 2.5 m, respectively. Although they lacked a detailed understanding of potential planting designs, both planters thought that the selected spacing was the most suitable for their teak.

Both respondents stated that their areas were originally rubber plantations on Class I soil. Both plantations were located on terrain with between 0 and 5 percent slope, and an altitude below 100 m. The type of soil for both project areas was clay. It was also observed that both respondents used chicken manure as fertilizer, which was cheap and readily available. Both respondents declared that they had to apply fertilizer two to three times per year to boost the growth of the teak trees. 

Most planters interviewed had some ideas of the market for and end-uses of the species planted. For instance, teak can be used for interior finishing, panels, high-class furniture and fancy plywood, whereas sentang can be used for joinery, interior finishing and sliced veneer. The majority of the planters also expected that species such as sentang would penetrate the international market if the quantity produced was sufficient to make an impact.

Conclusions

The database developed from the survey results provides information on not only the various agencies involved in the development of forest plantations by state but also the species planted and the age of plantations.

Private forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia are small and widely scattered. The size of the existing forest plantations is not large enough to significantly reduce the pressure on the natural forest. Plantation development in Peninsular Malaysia needs to be supported by incentives and a planting campaign.