Jakarta. Pulp and paper producer APRIL Group recently shared what it calls the production-protection approach in sustainable forest management at the UN climate summit COP29 in Azerbaijan. 

Sihol Aritonang, the president director of APRIL Group's operating arm, was among the speakers at the CEO Dialogue session at COP29's Indonesia Pavilion. According to Sihol, APRIL's industrial plantation forests produce wood pulp which the company will process into various products, including tissue, paper, and textile materials. This includes the company's flagship paper product PaperOne which has penetrated over 110 countries.

"In the industrial plantation forests that we manage, we also preserve the natural forests through what we call the production-protection approach. So the industrial forests managed by APRIL serve as the protectors of natural forests," Sihol told the forum.

This approach is also pivotal to the company's strategy to helping Indonesia achieve Indonesia's Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 targets. Since 2020, APRIL has committed to investing $1 for every ton of wood entering its supply chain to support conservation efforts both within and outside its concessions. It has also partnered with various parties to conserve areas outside its concessions.

To date, APRIL has invested nearly $35 million for this conservation and restoration commitment.

APRIL currently manages 454,045 hectares of industrial plantation forests. By embracing a 1:1 commitment, APRIL tries to balance every hectare of industrial plantation forest that it manages by also conserving and restoring one hectare of natural forests. The company reported that it had conserved 361,231 hectares of forests so far. This is equivalent to 88 percent of the target.

APRIL's Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER) is integral to these efforts. This peat forest restoration program covers an area that is twice the size of Singapore. The project lies on the Kampar Peninsula and Padang Island, Riau. This program is home to 896 species of flora and fauna, including rare and endangered species. APRIL hopes that the company's efforts in restoration can be in line with the Indonesian government's targets in forest rehabilitation and biodiversity protection.

President's Special Envoy to COP29 Hashim Djojohadikusumo told the same summit that Indonesia was committed to addressing climate change.

“President Prabowo has approved a massive rehabilitation program to restore 12.7 million hectares of degraded forests with a more biodiverse approach,” said Hashim when opening the Indonesian Pavilion at COP29.

This rehabilitation effort also does not only involve planting trees, but also restoring habitat for wildlife. This concept has been implemented in Samboja Lestari, Balikpapan, where 1,800 hectares of grassland have been successfully restored in the last 20 years.

Sustainable Forest Management

For sustainable production, APRIL seeks to increase the productivity of its industrial forests through innovations.

“Our commitment is to promote conservation efforts while increasing the productivity of our industrial forest plantation concessions,” Sihol said.

Since 2019, the productivity of wood planted by APRIL (mean annual increment) has increased by more than 10 percent, reaching 22.4 tons/hectares/year. APRIL wants to increase the forests' productivity by 50 percent by 2030. To this end, the company has made a series of innovations and research. This commitment is also in line with the APRIL2030 target on the thriving landscape pillar.

APRIL applies a specific approach in selecting suitable and pest-resistant tree species for each land. It also adopts silviculture to boost the land's productivity. The company also focuses on human resource management to support all these efforts.

"We contribute directly and measurably to the emission reduction targets in the forestry sector," Sihol said.