DIVERSITY OF RARE TREES LOGGED DOWN IN CENTRAL JAVA

Abstract

Rare trees are a group of plants whose existence is limited and threatened with extinction. The need for land for development drives land conversion, resulting in the widespread felling of rare trees. Therefore, an inventory of rare tree species and their conservation status is necessary. Efforts to save endangered trees are urgently needed.
The objectives of this study were: 1) to obtain data on the diversity of rare trees, and 2) to determine the frequency of rare tree logging activities. The method used in this study
was a survey with purposive sampling in the timber industry in several regencies in Central Java, including Banyumas, Cilacap, Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Wonosobo, Kebumen, Brebes, Tegal, and Pemalang. The felled wood was identified, and the tree species name was recorded. The results of this study indicate that there were seven rare tree species, namely Dipterocarpus littorali,s which was Critically Endangered (CR), two Endangered (EN) species, namely Pterocarpus indicus and Swietenia macrophylla,
three Vulnerable (VU) trees, namely Dalbergia latifolia, Pinus merkusii, and Archidendron pauciflorum, and one tree species was considered as Near Threatened (NT), i.e., Swietenia mahagoni. It can be concluded that some conservation statuses need to be re-accessed and updated due to habitat loss, land conversion, and reforestation.