Ecological aspects of meranti kunyit (Shorea macroptera Dyer) in Rantau Bertuah Forest, Siak Regency, Riau Province and the implication for forest management and conservation

Dominace population structure regeneration Riau vegetation

Authors

  • Rizki Ary Fambayun Forest Research and Development Centre, Forest Research Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia
  • Nur Muhammad Heriyanto Forest Research and Development Centre, Forest Research Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia
  • Marfuah Wardani Forest Research and Development Centre, Forest Research Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia

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Sumatra’s lowland tropical rainforest is in the third place after Kalimantan and Papua
in terms of Indonesia’s plant species diversity. Shorea macroptera is one of the
species from the Dipterocarpaceae family, known as an important commercial timber
tree species. In September 2019, the study was conducted in Rantau Bertuah Forest,
Siak Regency, Riau Province, Sumatra, with a total sample plot area of 1 ha. The data
were analyzed to show the vegetation quantitative structure and composition on the
study site using the Important Value Index, and the association of S. macroptera using
the Ochiai index. The results recorded 55 plant species belong to 33 families on this
study site. Dipterocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Fabaceae have the most abundant
species, encompassed 51 species ≥10 cm in diameter with a total of 624 individuals.
The result showed that the top three dominant species in this area, namely
Callophyllum macrocarpum Hook.f. (IVI = 27.88%), Shorea parvifolia Dyer (IVI =
21.98%) and Gironniera nervosa Planch. (IVI = 19.99%). C. macrocarpum dominated
all the regeneration levels: tree, sapling and seedling with IVI of 27.88%, 49.57% and
86.31%, respectively. S. macroptera has the strongest association with C.
macrocarpum (Ochiai index of 0.73), followed by the S. parvifolia (Ochiai index of
0.61) and G. nervosa species (Ochiai index of 0.51). S. macroptera is widely used for
industrial timber purposes and has limited distribution. Therefore, it is necessary to
increase the efforts to manage it sustainably, especially in production forests.