The initial seedlings germinated in June, will be planted later this year when they have reached a suitable size for planting. The nurseries are located in the villages of Karangreja, Bojong, and Patemon. These nurseries are situated at three different altitudes on the slopes of Mount Slamet, an active volcano, to provide seedlings adapted to local conditions.

Over the last five months Trees4TreesTM program staff have provided technical expertise, planning support and training to ensure that the farmer groups are familiar with seedling production methods to produce high quality seedlings.

The Trees4Trees Foundation has financed the establishment of the nurseries and will purchase the seedlings from the farmer groups. This is a mutually beneficial partnership as the farmer groups derive income from the production and sale of the seedlings whilst Trees4TreesTM is able to secure high quality, acclimatized seedlings for local distribution and planting.

Trees4Trees™ is a non-profit foundation established in Indonesia by responsible furniture manufacturers and their customers worldwide. Trees4Trees™ empowers local communities through partnership reforestation initiatives and related education programs. Increasing the area of community planted and owned forests creates livelihood assets, renewing the environment and reducing the negative effects of deforestation.

Forest  inventory starting in Cilacap (village Cikedondong) and Pati (Village Bageng)
 
Tree  label used, for wood inventory  tracking.  Jaya Makmur Farmer Group of Kertajaya Village,  identify, collect, measure,  record,  and  mark trees.
 
Suparjo,  Pengging Makmur  farmer group manager  from Cikedondong village, using GPS to map their farmer members’ land plots.  Sumarno  of  Pengging Makmur  farmer group, leader  of Cikedondong village, using  Christen meter to measure tree height.
MoU signing between Trees4Trees and 2 farmer groups in Sangkanayu (Purbalingga)
Nursery supervising activity
 
Pine (Pinus merkusii) seedling in farmers’ nursery under T4T in Karangreja village  Teak seedlings in Banyumas Agricultural School.
  
Suren (Toona sureni) seedlings in farmers’ nursery under  in Patemon village  Agricultural school students during practical internment training in the seedling nursery.

Villagers with their  families are preparing soil for  seedlings in Bojong-Purbalingga

16 Field Coordinators and representatives a farmer group spent a hot day in the field Saturday on August 8th  with Mr.Taufik,  an experienced practitioner in forest maintenance with state forestry company Perum Perhutani.

It was all about how to maintain your trees during growth to get the best possible quality wood by the time of harvest.

The trainer candidates were taken through the principles and practices of thinning and pruning and will now now spread the skills in their districts.

Mr.Taufik explains about pruning of trees, calculation of the optimum number of trees in a given area
  
Pruning is practiced. Cutting off branches will let the tree grow nice straight trunks   Measuring space between trees
Half year Field Coordinator meeting, review activity plan for January-June and prepare activity plan for July-December  (MU- Kebumen & Cilacap)  on  August , 5 in Kebumen
  
Field Coordinators  of Kebumen and Cilacap  in the  activity review  meeting  Fauzan, a  Field Coordinator from Kebumen District, presents his activities
Half year Field Coordinator meeting, review activity plan for January-June and prepare activity plan for July-December; specific area which already established farmer group  (MU- Banyumas, Purbalingga, Pati, Boyolali) at August , 7  in Purwokerto
  
Performance reviewed  by Trees4TreesTM team, followed by discussions on how  to resolve  field problems  Experienced Field Coordinators share experience with new field coordinators
Half year Field Coordinator meeting, review activity plan for January-June and prepare activity plan for July-December  (MU- Semarang, Temanggung, Sragen, Magelang, Boyolali, Klaten) on August , 3 in Bawen
  
Field Coordinators  from Semarang, Sragen, Magelang, Boyolali, and Klaten in the meeting   Sutrisno, a  Field Coordinator from Sragen District ,presents his results
Introducing  community forestry to villagers in Cikedondong, Kertajaya, Binangun, Kunci, Kamulyan, and Bantarsari (Cilacap)
  
Jarir ,Area Manager of Cilacap District ,introduced Trees4TreesTM program to  villagers in  Cikedondong   Field Coordinator  (Khamidin)  explains community forestry to  Binangun villagers
Establishing 9 Farmers Group in Cilacap
MoU signing between Trees4TreesTM and 8 farmer groups in Cilacap at August,31
MoU signing between Trees4TreesTM and 2 farmer groups in Banyumas at August,10
  
Discussion  forum with 9 farmers group in Cilacap  Signing MoU  with farmer group in Cilacap
Training in Forest Inventory and Forest Maintenance in Cilacap and Purbalingga at August, 8-9
Establishing 3 Farmer groups in Sangkanayu (Purbalingga) ining.
  
Field coordinators learning to use Christen meter to measure tree height  Haga meter to check data on tree height
  
Measuring diameter using Phi band, Clino meter and other tools to measure tree height introduced in the training
 

Half year Field Coordinator meeting, review activity plan in January-June and prepare activity plan for July-December  (MU- Pati & Jepara) on July 28 in Pati
 
Field Coordinators  from   Pati and Jepara in the review activity  meeting  Mulyono, a  Field Coordinator from  Jepara District presented his activities.
Half year Field Coordinator meeting, review activity plan in January-June and arranging activity plan in July-December  (MU-Tegal, Brebes, Banyumas)  on July , 30 in Tegal
  
Field Coordinators of Tegal, Brebes, and Banyumas in  meeting  Ahmad  Saifudin, a Field Coordinator  from Banyumas ,District presented his results
On the job training for the community in the nursery management  in Patemon, Bojong and Karangreja
Introducing of the Trees4TreesTM program to Faculty of Forestry -University of Gajah Mada, and arranging potential coorporation on July 23.
Introducing comunity forestry to villagers in Kalibagor and Kaliori (Banyumas), on July  11
Establishing 2 Farmers Group in Kalibagor and Kaliori on  July   23
  
T4T staff member shows how to evaluate soil   as media for seedlings. 
 

An Indonesian re-forestation programme – co-founded by a leading UK furniture retailer – has received a boost after the range of sustainable furniture it has designed and sourced is now displayed by over 125 UK retailers in its first six months following launch.

An Indonesian re-forestation programme – co-founded by a leading UK furniture retailer – has received a boost after the range of sustainable furniture it has designed and sourced is now displayed by over 125 UK retailers in its first six months following launch.

Trees4TreesTM is a not-for-profit community reforestation programme, working within Central Java to gift high-value tree saplings to local villages and communities. This increases the proportion of community-owned woodland – helping to tackle the problem of illegal de-forestation of the region's rainforests.

Such has been the success of the Trees4TreesTM initiative that the organisation has launched two new furniture ranges, recruited three new furniture manufacturers and now plans to launch to consumers in the USA, mainland Europe and Russia.

The scheme, which has so far planted 150,000 saplings throughout central Java, has now become self-financing by charging a small nominal levy; the sun, soil and local communities do the rest!

Among the 125 retailers currently signed up are Lombok and Barker & Stonehouse – the latter being one of the key founding partners, instrumental in bringing the furniture range to market.

James Barker, managing director for Barker & Stonehouse said: "Key to the long-term success of the Trees4TreesTM programme is widespread availability of the furniture to consumers.

For too long ethically sourced furniture has commanded a premium price. However, the simplicity and affordability of this scheme seems to have struck a chord with so many retailers that we are now stepping up production and recruiting new manufacturers to the programme.

James added: "Independent retailers have typically been excluded from the ethical furniture market because of the relatively high prices charged by manufacturers for product. This 'ethical' mark up was in turn added onto the final retail price meaning that customers were penalised for trying to do the right thing.

"The great thing about Trees4TreesTM is its simplicity. The charge applied is very low – yet with that money, we can do so much.

"The successful launch of Trees4TreesTM demonstrates that the appetite for high quality, ethically-sourced products remains unabated."

 Trees4TreesTM Farmers Establish 3 Tree Nurseries

Farmer groups participating in the Trees4TreesTM program have established 3 nurseries for tree seedlings.

The first seedlings became visible in June and will be planted later in the year when they have reached a suitable size and the rainy season will provide the best conditions for first growth.

The nurseries are located in the Purbalingga district of Central Java. They are owned and run by farmers, the opening follows 5 months of planning and preparation with Trees4TreesTM staff.

Trees4Trees financed the initial cost of the nurseries that will supply seedlings for all 2009 planting in the Purbalingga area, and so contribute to the farmers’ income from plantation activities already this year.

   
The 3 nurseries owned and run by farmers are located in the villages of Karangreja, bojong, and Patemon on the slopes of Mount Slamet, an active volcano.

The nurseries are placed at different altitudes and provide seedlings proven suitable for the area and altitude.

Karangreja, around 1000-2000 m above sea level, grows pine, Bojong, just below 1000 m, grow sengon and suren, and Patemon, at 200m, provides teak and mahogany. 

  
MoU signing between Trees4TreesTM and Yayasan Al Hidayah at June,1 in Kebumen. The new management unit brings the total  district management units to 14.
   
Introducing Trees4TreesTM staff members  before  signing MoU at Pesantren Al Hidayah-Kebumen

Villagers in Karangtanjung-Kebumen, joining the MoU signing  meeting
MoU signing between T4T and 9 farmers groups in Purbalingga on June, 4
  

All farmer group managers in Purbalingga after signing the MoU 
Identification and mapping of ecological and cultural sites at Kalikidang (Banyumas), June  1-12.
  
Sapu Angin; important place for villagers in Kalikidang for old rituals   which are a combination of islam and the traditional Javanese system. This is an example of the cultural sites that are included in the forest mapping process. 
Preparation of Yayasan Salafiyah  (Pesantren) in Cilacap as a new Area Manager replacing SMK Wanareja (Agriculture School).
MoU signing between Trees4TreesTM and Yayasan Salafiyah (Pesantren) on June  10  in Cilacap
   
Villager crowding the  Pesantern’s  hall to watch  MoU signing process  MoU signing between Trees4TreesTM and Yayasan Salafiyah
Training a new team under Management Unit Cilacap.  Trees4TreesTM basic program on June 11-12.
   
Training in the mapping using GPS, and land marking   Data processing training,  how to input and process field data to the Trees4TreesTM data base
Forest Certification Training for field coordinators with the Management Units Purbalingga, Banyumas, Cilacap,and Kebumen on June 24-25.
  
Learning FSC standards   
Introducing  community forestry to villagers in Bageng (Pati)
Establishing 6 farmer groups in Bageng (Pati)
MoU signing between Trees4TreesTM and 6 farmer groups in Pati on June 4.
  
  Farmer group managers in Bageng/Pati after signed MoU