Assessment of the Health of Community Forests Based on Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) in Tulang Bawang Regency

Abstract

The knowledge and awareness of community forest managers about the importance of forest health are still relatively low, especially in community forests based on rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations. Whereas through forest health measurement, reliable data and information will be obtained that can be used to ensure the quantity and quality of community forests as a form of management decisions for community forest managers. This study aimed to determine the health status of rubber plantation-based community forests in Ujung Gunung Village, Menggala District, Tulang Bawang Regency. The stages of implementing this research include: determining the number of clusters based on management prescriptions (planting year and spacing), making cluster plots based on the design of Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) clusters, collecting data by measuring forest health indicators (productivity, vitality and site quality) based on the FHM technique, data processing and analysis were carried out by calculating forest health values. The results showed that the health status of rubber community forests had a range of values from 3.97 to 7.03. The average value of forest health based on rubber plants in Ujung Gunung Village, Menggala District, Tulang Bawang Regency is 5.59, which is included in the medium value range. Thus, the value of community forest health status is moderate.