Forcing Tengsek to Come Down from Mountain

When Mount Merapi erupted in 2010, some areas of tengsek trees growing in the Merapi forest were devastated. Sulistyowadi, 29, initiated the conservation of tengsek by “forcing” the rare plant down the mountain.

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

Sulistyowadi

Now tengsek has been planted in several locations on roadsides along the highway of Magelang as far as the mountainous zone of Magelang regency. Furthermore, tengsek seedlings have been distributed to Kudus regency and East Java areas.

Tengsek, also known as tesek, is a plant that grows well in the Mount Merapi zone. It is therefore regarded by locals as Merapi’s typical plant. According to various sources, tengsek is also found in a number of tropical and subtropical regions with fairly warm temperatures, including New Zealand, Australia, some Latin American countries and southern Asia.

Tengsek is characterized by its very hard, blackish stem, with beautiful flowers that change in color three times from green, purplish red, finally to brown. This plant has an effective soil water storage function. Very tough tengsek wood is used to make rosaries and kris handles. Some people consider it a herbal plant although no research has proven its medicinal effect.

Also read: Living Dictionary of Woody Plants

In the Mount Merapi National Park (TNGM) zone, tengsek is widespread at an altitude of 1,500 meters. The growth of this plant is very slow so that very few people are prepared to cultivate it.

Unlike, most people, Sulistyowadi, a resident of Paten village, Dukun district, Magelang regency, is just interested in cultivating it. It was realized after he was informed by the Merapi Merbabu Forum, which is also engaged in conservation and environmental protection. At first, in 2017, Sulis intended to join nature conservation activity by growing gayam (chestnut) or telotrok trees.

At last he followed the Merapi Merbabu Forum’s suggestion to plant tengsek for the reason that this species has become rare after a greater number of tengsek trees were destroyed by the Mount Merapi eruption in 2010.

Also read : Food Self-Sufficiency in Border Areas

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

Sulistyowadi

Sulis, working as a farmer and vegetable trader, had to borrow from a bank Rp15 million to start cultivating tengsek. After obtaining the fund, he requested the TNGM’s permission to collect the seeds and flowers of tengsek growing in the TNGM forest.

Without any experience, he ventured to cultivate tengsek on his own. He was experimenting based on information from the internet, books and his farming practice. He, for instance, chose seeds for tengsek seedlings in the way he selected seeds for vegetable seedlings. He immersed the seeds in water. The ones of good quality for developing seedlings were those that were not floating.

He tried to use a plant medium comprising sand, manure from cow and chicken dung as well as compost from bamboo leaves. The bamboo-leaf composed was used in view of the fact that plants grown under bamboo trees would be flourishing.

After several experiments, Sulis managed to develop 2,000 tengsek seedlings or young plants. However, nearly all the seedlings were dead, leaving only five. He didn’t give up trying. One year later, he was capable of producing 18,000 tengsek seedlings ready for planting.

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

Sulistyowadi

Distributing seedlings

Sulis distributed tengsek seedlings he had cultivated for free so that people could grow the plant in a greening movement in various places. Those receiving the seedlings were planting them on roadsides, road separators and other areas.

Meanwhile, Sulis’ peers in the Tujuh Gunung Basecamp Community planted tengsek seedlings in the mountainous zone. So far, he has contributed 3,000 of the 18,000 seedlings. Of the remainder, 5,000 seedlings have been sold, 5,000 dead and 5,000 are still kept.

Apart from being meant for conservation and refreshing the environment, tengsek planting in several places were purposely conducted to promote the species as an icon of Magelang regency. “This is part of the effort to make tengsek remain protected,” he said in early February 2020.

The promotion has been carried out through the social media. The demand for tengsek seedlings is thus coming from various cities like Yogyakarta, Jakarta and many others in East Java and Bali. For every sale, Sulis always gives bonus seedlings so that a lot more tengsek trees will grow in other regions.

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

Sulistyowadi

Returning the wood

Sulis was brought up by his mother who used to work as a wood collector in the Mount Merapi forest zone. The job was commonly done by village residents around Mount Merapi. At the time, tengsek wood was hunted by residents due to its higher sale value than other wood. “Many villagers used to fell tengsek trees that were still young and not tall yet,” recalled Sulis.

Entering the year 2000, when the TNGM was established, most of the residents including Sulis’ mother quit their wood collecting job and became farm workers. As a farm worker, his mother couldn’t afford to pay Sulis’ junior high school educational expenses. Consequently, Sulis only finished primary school. Thereafter, he was forced to seek employment. At the age of 14, he began doing casual work in different cities such as Jakarta, Tangerang, Yogyakarta and Bali.

After being employed for a long time, in 2017 he decided to work independently. He works as a farmer that made him close to nature. It was when he became a farmer that he was attracted by greening activity for nature conservation. Through the movement, Sulis was virtually “repaying nature’s kindness” by returning the wood formerly taken by his mother and other residents.

Besides tengsek, Sulis is developing other typical mountain plants, gondang (fig tree) and centiki. He also strives to make sure that this cultivation will lead to the planting of both species in a number of places.

At his young age, Sulis said he was still considering the choice of occupations other than farming. Nevertheless, he emphasized that he would carry on his commitment to keep growing plants in various locations.

“I’ve got to be planting trees as part of the equilibrium of life,” he added with a smile.

Sulistyowadi

Born: Magelang, 28 November 1991

Wife: Tutik Rodiah, 20

Child: Zulfa, 2

Education: State Primary School 2 Paten