Preliminary assessment of ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri Teijsm. & Binnend.) stand on the KPPN Bulian of the District VIII of PT. Wirakarya Sakti, Jambi as seed source candidate

Abstract

Ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri) is one of Indonesia's most economically valuable timber tree species and was listed as Vulnerable in 1998 by the IUCN. To support conservation activities and establish E. zwageri's plantation, good quality planting stocks should be collected from specific seed sources. Currently, there is only one ironwood seed source in Sumatra that has been registered. This study aimed to assess the potential for an ironwood stand on the KPPN Bulian of the District VIII of PT. Wirakarya Sakti is to be proposed as a seed source. The assessment was conducted on July 2020 by a 100% inventory of ironwood trees in the area of 43 ha. Every individual tree and copy of ironwood was measured for its stem diameter and tree height and observed for its health, flowers, fruits, and seedlings in the ground. In total, 1,029 individual trees, copies and seedlings were recorded. Among them, 116 trees were found to have young fruits and seedlings emergence in the forest floor. Generally, the ironwood stand is sound and meets the criteria to be registered as an identified seed stand of ironwood.