The Action of Planting 1000 Trees: For Nature and My Culture


Posted on 20/09/2021



This tree planting action is one of the efforts to improve our natural conditions, as well as to preserve the culture of Toraja the traditional house of Toraja (tongkonan), said Mr. Samuel Karundeng as Director of PT Sulotco Jaya Abadi. Tongkonan is a unit of Toraja traditional house, alang or rice barn, rice fields/forest land, and livestock. It is in this tongkonan that the Toraja people gather to hold events, either deliberation or traditional ceremonies. It takes dozens of logs to make just one tongkonan house, so you can imagine what would happen if the trees were cut down but no one wanted to replant them.


Planting trees also provide us with oxygen. Did you know that 1 human needs 0.5 kg [0.5 kg] of oxygen a day, while 1 adult tree produces about 440 pounds [1.2 kg] of oxygen a day. So 1 tree can provide oxygen for 2 people. 


With the trees around us, nature will be more friendly, especially for areas with hilly topography such as the Rantekarua Coffee Plantation PT. Sulotco Jaya Abadi. Trees can prevent erosion and flooding through their function of resisting the blow of rain to the ground. Trees and litter on the ground can slow down the flow of rainwater to the ground surface so that rainwater can slowly enter the soil and be stored in the aquifer. If there are no trees or any vegetation on the ground, then rainwater can erode the soil and become runoff entirely.


On February 9, 2021, the sun will just rise when the Environmental Care Team rushes to the first planting site in the Bittuang area. In this small area of land, the Environmental Care Team started its first step, the first tree was planted by Mr. Samuel Karundeng and Mr. Andri Kelo as the head of the Environmental Care Team, and then the entire Environmental Care Team intervened to plant tree seedlings which had been prepared for about 100 trees.


There are shafts, there are seeds, so this is the first environmental policy for those participating in this tree planting action. Furthermore, if the planting hole is available, the Environmental Care Team together with the landowner will plant trees together. With this regulation, it is hoped that all tree seeds can be planted properly, not just abandoned under the house.


The landowners also welcomed this program and immediately moved to prepare the land because they realized how important the role of trees is for the preservation of nature and culture, especially in Toraja. Thanks to good teamwork, this first tree planting activity was completed quickly. The activity ended with a group photo and lunch while planning the next planting location. We've already started, when is your turn?


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