Extending Reforestation in Bojonegoro: An Initiative for a Greener Future

It was 9 AM in the morning in Pandantoyo Village in Bojonegoro Regency, but it was already blazing hot. Some locals, however, said it was milder compared to the dry season. Even in 2019, the temperature reached 44 degree Celcius at midday. Incredibly hot days those were!

Although the temperature stood at 32 degrees Celsius that morning, according to AccuWeather, staff of Alliance One Indonesia and Indonesia Tri Sembilan gathered to volunteer in a tree-planting event, continuing their companies’ reforestation commitment.

“This is our second year planting trees together with Trees4Trees. This year, we’re continuing the effort by planting more trees in Pandantoyo and two other villages,” said Iba Swasono, the Alliance One Indonesia Operational Manager for Bojonegoro Regency. He also emphasized that this year, both companies have planted a total of 11,000 trees to improve the environment and support local communities.

Extending Reforestation
Despite the scorching heat, all participants including Iba Swasono (below) joined the tree-planting enthusiastically.

Extending Reforestation

Involving Staff and Local Communities in a Green Mission

Around 30 staff members from both companies joined the event, working together to plant 400 trees. In addition to involving staff as volunteers, local communities and farmers partnering with the companies were also engaged.

“I am very excited to see farmers and local communities involved in this initiative and this is the most exciting part of it,” said Leandro Silveira, President Director of Alliance One Indonesia.

Baroroh, Program Department Head of Indonesia Tri Sembilan, shared that the company engages all staff in tree-planting, not only at events but also around plantation sites and their homes. Despite the challenges of the tree-planting event in the heat, she found it rewarding. “It’s exciting to learn which trees thrive in Bojonegoro’s heat. More importantly, we’re helping reduce carbon emissions,” she said.

plant trees
Baroroh (above), who participated in the tree-planting event for the past two years, planted trees with her team. All participants were full of spirits joining the event (below).

Extending Reforestation

 

Planting Trees, Addressing Complex Environmental Issues

The environmental issues in Bojonegoro are complex. The regency is known for its rich petroleum reserves, which are believed to contribute to rising temperatures due to petroleum industry activities. Large-scale deforestation has also played a role in temperature spikes, driven by the rapid development of plantations, residential areas, and local farming activities.

“The temperature wasn’t as high as it is now. Since many trees have been cut down, the days have felt much hotter,” explained Yatemi, a local resident. She lives near an open plot of land that was once cultivated with sugarcane, but remained unproductive, without shading trees.

Ade, a local farmer, shared that in addition to raising livestock, many locals rely on farming as their primary livelihood. “We plant crops that thrive in hot temperatures, such as corn, sugarcane, and tobacco,” he said. Despite the significant profits, unfortunately they are not familiar with sustainable farming practices, leading to a significant tree cover decline. This has resulted in local communities facing not only land degradation and soaring temperatures but also drought and water scarcity.

“When the dry season comes, Pandantoyo village struggles with clean water access due to water sources drying up,” said Khoirum Minan, the Trees4Trees Unit Manager responsible for tree planting in Bojonegoro.

Planting Trees

A Sustainable Program for A Healthier Environment

With the sustainable tree-planting initiative of both companies, positive impacts on the environment and people in Bojonegoro are expected. According to Iba, the main goal is to restore critical areas and plants trees that yield benefits, positively affect the community and the environment. “Communities depend on the environment. So, if the environment is damaged, it will affect the surrounding communities,” said Iba.

Extending Reforestation
Leandro Silveira planted trees together with local communities

Supporting this initiative, Trees4Trees provided three species of trees to help achieve environmental and social impacts. “We provide indigofera, highly beneficial as livestock fodder. Additionally, we planted jackfruit trees for their economic value and suren trees for their pest-prevention benefits in community forestry. All of these are also resistant to hot temperatures,” said Pandu Budi Wahono, the Trees4Trees Director.

As part of both companies’ sustainability program, the initiative aims to plant 6,000 trees this year, with plans to continue planting annually to reach 53,000 trees in total.

“We know sustainability takes time. We cannot grow all the trees in just one year. The trees we are growing now are not to be cut or used in production but to improve the environment where our farmer community lives. That’s why we’ll plant each year and keep continuing in the coming years,” said Silveira.

Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Photo: Yulianisa Dessenita

Microsoft’s Green Initiative: Expanding Urban Forests in West Java

Microsoft’s Green Initiative: Expanding Urban Forests in West Java

In Cikarang, West Java, the Greenland International Industrial Center (GIIC) is starting to be crisscrossed with corridors of green. Over the past two years, Trees4Trees has been working with Microsoft and One Tree Planted to regreen this urban area, by planting trees and engaging communities in reforestation efforts. These trees will be joined by new growth in the weeks ahead, as part of a new chapter in the ongoing story of regeneration in Cikarang.  

In November 2022, the tree-planting initiative kicked off in the Greenland International Industrial Center (GIIC) in Bekasi and the Karawang International Industrial Center (KIIC) in Karawang. As two of Indonesia’s biggest industrial hubs, both locations have to contend with serious environmental issues, from air pollution and rising temperatures to soil degradation and subsidence.  

With more than 40,000 trees planted between 2022 and 2023, both have seen positive changes over time, with more improvements ready to take root in the months ahead. From December 2024 to February 2025, an additional 20,000 trees are being planted, further enhancing the urban environment with nature-based solutions. 

Trees
Trees planted during 2022 and 2023 are already thriving.

Restoring soil, reviving the ecosystem 

The primary goal of the latest tree-planting program is to conserve water and soil. Several species of shade trees will be planted over the next few months, including burflower (jabon), albizia, suren, and black-wood cassia (johar). “We intend to plant 14,500 trees in the GIIC, and more in community lands around the KIIC,” explains Pandu Budi Wahono, Director of Trees4Trees. 

“Industrial areas tend to feature marginal lands characterized by nutrient-deficient soils,” he says. “To address this issue, Trees4Trees focuses on planting fast-growing shade trees that are both well-suited to poor soil and able to improve it over time by recycling nutrients. Restoring soil health and reviving the ecosystem is our top priority,” he added. 

Pandu and Arina
Pandu Budi Wahono (left), Trees4Trees’ Director presents a tree-planting certificate to Arina Dafir (right), Microsoft’s Community Affairs Manager – Southeast Asia.

A new chapter in the story  

To kick off the next phase of Microsoft’s ongoing urban forestry initiative, a tree-planting event was held on November 22, 2024, at GIIC, Cikarang. The event involved Microsoft’s stakeholders and staff, with over 100 volunteers working together to plant 600 new trees. “We want to be part of the community, and we’ve brought together all the different stakeholders today to support this program,” said Arina Dafir, Microsoft’s Community Affairs Manager – Southeast Asia. 

One of these stakeholders is the Nusantara Academy, represented by Erick Hadi, the founder of the academy. He confirmed they are committed to promoting environmental awareness: “it’s great to see a lot of companies today sending representatives to do something good for the Earth,” he said at the event. Kentaro Miyashita, GA Admin Advisor of Jaya Obayashi, who also volunteered for this event, said “I hope events like this will continue in the future, encouraging more people to join, providing them with opportunities to think more about the global environment.” 

Planting event
(Above) Erick Hadi, founder of Nusantara Academy, one of Microsoft’s key stakeholders, is excited to join the event; and (below) Microsoft’s key stakeholders come together hand-in-hand for tree planting.

Microsoft’s Green Initiative

Impact and inspiration: Working together with local communities 

The event demonstrated Microsoft’s wider commitment to creating lasting impacts, both on the environment and in local communities living near the data center in GIIC. “In addition to tree planting,” explains Microsoft’s Community Engagement Lead for Indonesia, Dania Pratiwi, “Microsoft has also undertaken other initiatives including providing local communities with access to clean water, community empowerment funding for school infrastructure development, and digital skills improvement,” she said.  

Tree Planting event
Not only adults, but also children, under their parents’ supervision, volunteered to plant trees.

Microsoft’s Green Initiative

“It’s truly inspiring how Microsoft invites the community to work together for a better environment,” said Danastri Widoningtyas, Program Manager of Yayasan Rumah Energi, one of Microsoft’s community partners. Happy Syarifudin, from the GIIC Community Relations department, also noted that Microsoft’s initiative has already inspired some other companies to follow their example. “I believe in the coming year more companies will engage in similar initiatives,” he said. 

‘Responsible neighbors’: Microsoft Global Sustainability Goals 

Through an ongoing process of urban forest expansion, Microsoft aims to achieve lasting impacts that align with their global sustainability goals. To support this mission, Microsoft is continually looking for new ways to give back to nature and engender a more sustainable, better-connected society. 

“Supporting programs like this is an investment in the future,” explains Arina Dafir, Microsoft’s Community Manager – Southeast Asia, “because the trees that we plant today will continue to benefit nature and communities for many years to come. We are striving to be good, responsible neighbors to the communities we live with and the environment we operate in.” 

Highlighting the visible green impact of the tree-planting initiative on the industrial area, Happy Syarifudin, representing GIIC management, expressed his sincere gratitude to Microsoft and Trees4Trees for their collaboration. “This marks the third year of Microsoft’s urban forestry initiative. We hope this program will continue to expand, bringing greater benefits to both the environment and the local community,” he said. 

 

Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Editor: Chris Alexander. Photos: Yulianisa Dessenita & Kemas Duga Muis/Trees4Trees