Indonesia is a tropical country with an area of rain forests around 128 million ha. Forests have economic, social and environmental functions, therefore those functions must be sustained. Seeds are a very important part for maintaining the sustainability of forest functions, by providing good quality of seeds and seedlings. Nearly 70% of the seeds of forest plants in Indonesia are recalcitrant and intermediate, dominated by species of Dipterocarpaceae, Myrtaceae, Araucariaceae, and Verbenaceae. In general, the characteristics of the seeds can be divided into 3 groups based on their sensitivity of drying and storability, namely orthodox, recalcitrant and intermediates. The viability of orthodox seeds can be maintained for long storage periods in low temperatures, whereas recalcitrant seeds are difficult to store for long periods and loseitsviability in a short time. Intermediate seeds are in between of the two characters, that the viability can be kept for a longer time (generally less than 1 year) than recalcitrant seeds. The main problems for recalcitrant and intermediate seeds are their short life time and for some species, the flowering and fruiting periods do not occur every year, especially for the species of Dipterocarpacae. These problems makedifficult to get large quantities of high-quality seeds. Therefore, seed handling techniques of recalcitrant and intermediates seeds are urgently needed. A proper seed handling is the key to maintain the physical, physiological and genetic quality of seeds which should be carried out by involving several activities including techniques of seed production, seed testing, seed storage, and nursery technique.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are related to several degenerative diseases. In this study, Acacia, a genus with many fast-growing species, was investigated to explore the many phytochemical compounds that are biologically active in processes dealing with ROS-related diseases. This study aimed to select extracts of Acacia heartwood on the basis of their pharmacological and phytochemical profiles and identify their bioactive compounds. Five methanolic extracts from Acacia heartwood were evaluated for their antioxidant activity using three different in vitro assays: toxicity toward Artemia salina and phenolic and polyphenolic content. Multivariate analysis was conducted to select two promising extracts and then their bioactive compounds were identified using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Acacia crassicarpa extracts showed the highest antioxidant activity, as well as phenolic and hydrolyzable tannin contents, but low toxicity. The A. mangium extract exhibited high flavonoid and condensed tannin content, whereas A. decurrrens had the highest toxicity with low antioxidant activity. Pearson’s correlation analysis demonstrated no correlation between antioxidant activity and toxicity. Moreover, the phytochemical profile exhibited an association with pharmacological parameters. Principal component analysis followed by cluster analysis divided the extracts into three clusters. Two heartwood extracts of A. crassicarpa and A. auriculiformis were chosen as the best extracts. Identification showed that these extracts were dominated by phenolic compounds, as well as anthraquinone and xanthone.

Proper management of Indonesian tropical forests is addressed to realize the community’s welfare and forest sustainability. Agroforestry is a smart solution to provide balance in ecological, economic, and social benefits. This paper is aimed to provide plant growth and survival rate data in the establishment of agroforestry demonstration plots in three different schemes of Social Forestry in Indonesia, namely Paru Village Forest (PVF) in West Sumatra, Cempaka Forestry Partnership in Lampung, and Tuar Tana Community Forestry (TCF) in East Nusa Tenggara. Twenty-six plant species, both forest trees and seasonal crops, were planted at all sites by applying agroforestry models. All planted species were planted based on site-specific suitability regarding different climate regime and their social pReferences. The survival rate and plant height were observed at 1, 6, 12, and 18 months after planting (MAP). The best result of plants’ survival rate was found in PVF at 12 and 18 MAP, respectively 93.5% and 78.9% supported by the high community participation in tending their crops. Plants’ survival rate in TCF was relatively low, amounted 43.2%, due to the drought affecting the plant growth in this semi-arid region, even though the forest farmers have a high effort in tending their crops.

Energy needs in Indonesia are increasing and have inverse impacts on the source and production of energy itself. One effort that can be done to overcome this problem is to use biomass energy sources, especially for home industries and people surrounding the forests. This research aims to describe the perceptions of farmers, as potential workers, about the development of Calliandra calothyrsus Meisner wood energy demonstration plot. The Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted in the Parungpanjang research forest. Qualitative content analysis methods were used to explore the data collected from FGD. The results showed that farmers have a positive perception of the development of wood energy demonstration plots. However, they only assume that being a worker in the demonstration plot is only a side job.

Sengon plantation is the primary commodity of the community forests, which produces timber with high economic value, especially in Java Island. However, now the condition of sengon stands in Java Island, pests and diseases have attacked most. The information about the health and the severity of the stands due to pests and diseases is beneficial for determining stand productivity and investment security. The purpose of this activity is to determine the level of damage on sengon stands at various locations in Serang Regency, Banten, based on indicators of tree vitality. The method used to determine stand health is Forest Health Monitoring (FHM), which includes using tree vitality indicators and site quality indicators as a basis for assessment. The observation plot was carried out at 3 locations determined purposively based on the flat distance from the beach, which is ≤ 2 km; 2> X≤ 4 km; 4> X ≤6 km. The results showed that the average percentage of healthy sengon trees was still quite high (82.7%), but the level of damage to stands was moderate. The most common type of damage is gummosis (distance ≤ 2 km and > 4-6 km) and boktor (> 2-4 km). Many tree damage occurs in the main branch location found in the live canopy section (code 6), especially in plots that are 2> X≤ 4 km from the coastline and lower stem (distance ≤ 2 km). However, no damage was found at the root location (code 1), shoots (code 8) and leaves (code 9). The damage of the stem causes a decrease in wood production because the damaged at part of the stem cannot be used anymore. Visual Crown Ratio of sengon trees tends to be low due to young trees so that the canopy is not maximal. Maintenance activities, as well as mixed planting techniques with intercropping plants and other woody plants, can prevent sengon plants from attacking pests and diseases.