The Korea Forest Service (KFS) establishes the base for wood biomass production in Indonesia and secures the improved access to stable wood materials through planting a fast growing tree, Gliricidia.

A nursery and training center is now open in Smarang, Indonesia and expected to function as the base to develop a model project of wood pellet, one of new renewable energy sources. The model project will encompass a collective wood pellet production process from tree nursery, plantation and production to processing.

On 26 February, KFS had the opening ceremony of this training center for providing seedlings and training forest technicians in Indonesia, and expressed its full efforts to implement a pilot project of wood biomass production by planting Indonesian native tree, Gliricidia.

KFS initiated a project on a designated site in 2013. Infrastructure facilities have been established including the tree nursery, the training center and forest roads, and Gliricidia-planted area has reached 800 ha so far. (A two or three year-rotation harvest is possible with sprout reproduction (short rotation coppice) which is cost-effective for securing wood pellet materials.)

In fact, this project is a cooperative project under the MOU on Development of Wood Biomass Energy Industry signed between KFS and the Ministry of Forest of Indonesia at the Korea-Indonesia Summit in 2009. It is carried out through joint venture between the Korea Green Promotion Agency (KGPA) and Perum Perhutani of Indonesia and a project model to be developed will be distributed to Korean forest companies doing overseas plantation.

Again, at the opening ceremony attended by about 100 participants and officials from KFS, KGPA and Perum Perhutani, Director of Overseas Forest Resources Division of KFS Dr. PARK Eunsik highlighted that a promising model will be developed through this project and then more investment will be made in wood biomass plantation, thereby enabling us to secure a stable source of wood materials.