Sumatra, Biodiversity loss, Pulp & paper, Palm oil, APP, APRIL, fire hotspots, forest fires, haze, HTI,
PEKANBARU (EoF News)—At least 229 hotspots were detected by satellite in Riau province during 1-15 June 2009 where pulpwood plantation concessions (HTI) had 79 hotspots, and Selective Logging Concessions (HPH) have been hit with 66 hotspots.
Haze blanketed Riau province and its neighboring Sumatra provinces within one month which had caused trouble to Malaysia, media reports said recently.
Rain poured the districts in Riau this week had decreased the number of hotspots recently.
Eyes on the Forest analyzed the forest and land fires that produced thick haze in the province based satellite data of Modiss Terra image and overlaid with concessions of HTI, HPH and palm oil.
By palm oil concessions there were 55 hotspots found, while from overlapping concessions of HPH and HTI there were 19 hotspots, mostly in Tesso Nilo and Bukit Tigapuluh.
There are 39 hotspots detected in concessions of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) / Sinar Mas Group (SMG) associated companies. While associated companies of Asian Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL) were detected with 29 hotspots.
Beside Tesso Nilo and Bukit Tigapuluh blocks, Bukit Batu and Giam Siak Kecil forests where APP companies, PT Bukit Hutani Batu Alam and PT Arara Abadi operated, also hit by fires.
PT Hutani Sola Lestari, HPH concession that located in Tesso Nilo had 35 hotspots, the highest one of all concessions where the area raged by fires at average is 752 ha.
It is followed by PT Siak Raya Timber with 9 hotspots, also in Tesso Nilo where encroachment escalated as migrant villagers flocked to this block. PT. Industries et Forest Asiatiques (IFA), HPH concession that not managed well in Bukit Tigapuluh had 7 hotspots.
APP/SMG associated company, PT Wira Karya Sakti (district 6) in Bukit Tigapuluh had 11 hotspots for 11 consecutive days of 1-11 June. In this forest block hotspots also found in concessions of APP’s PT Lenverindo Nusapratama (ex PT IFA), PT Rimba Hutani Mas (existing 3) Block Taman Raja, and ex PT DHE proposed concession of PT Rimba Hutani Mas.
PT Arara Abadi (Duri), PT Arara Abadi (Pelalawan), PT Satria Perkasa Agung (Pulau Muda), and PT Sakato Pratama Makmur are APP/SMG’s associated companies that also raged by fires.
PT Nusa Wana Raya (APRIL) in Tesso Nilo had 13 hotspots, the most of all HTI concessions during the two weeks where fires detected mostly in 250 hectare area.
EoF also learned that hotspots detected from APRIL’s PT RAPP –Cerenti, PT RAPP – Pontianak, PT RAPP –Langgam, and PT RAPP-Pelalawan.
PT. Siak Raya Timber, an independent HTI company in Tesso Nilo had 8 hotspots detected by satellite.
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