Utilization of Mangrove Forest for Mangrove Charcoal in the

Pangkalan Siata Village Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict,

Langkat Regency

Delvian

1,*

, Agus Purwoko

, Elisabeth Ika Herawati

Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

Master Program of Natural Resources and Environment Management, Postgraduate School, Universitas Sumatera Utara,

Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: Mangrove forest, production forest, charcoal industry, labor income

Abstract: The mangrove forest of Pangkalan Siata Village, Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, Langkat Regency has the

potential of utilizing wood forest products for the charcoal industry. This study aims to determine the

economic value of mangrove forest utilization as a source of raw materials for mangrove charcoal industry

for the community around the mangrove forest of Pangkalan Siata Village. The study was conducted from

June to September 2016. The study sites were forest for other land uses and Production Forest which have

been granted Social plantation forest. The results showed that labor income in the average mangrove

charcoal industry was Rp 1,500,000 /ton/year. With the need for raw materials of mangrove wood as much

as 204.18 m³/ cycle and production capacity of 61.5 ton/cycle, the average profit of whole industry of

Pangkalan Siata is Rp 497.382.480, -/year.

1 INTRODUCTION

Pangkalan Siata Village is one of the coastal villages

in Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, with a village area of

1,712 ha, and has a mangrove forest of ± 803.94 ha.

Resources for mangrove forests in Pangkalan Siata

provide a variety of livelihood sources for

surrounding communities, including to mangrove

wood seekers, mangrove charcoal makers, fishes,

crabs and shrimps collectors, and grouper cage

businessmen. In the location Land A llocated for

Other Purposes or Area Penggunaan Lain (APL),

villagers in the Forest Farmers Group or Kelompok

Tani Hutan, have planted mangroves as an effort to

conserve the mangrove forests and utilize the wood

as a source of raw material for mangrove charcoal

industry. Whereas in the Production forest of

Pangkalan Siata, there has been a Business Permit for

the Utilization of Smallholder Timber Forest

Products/ Izin Usaha Pemanfaatan Hasil Hutan Kayu

– Hutan Tanaman Rakyat (IUPHHK-HTR) which is

managed by two cooperatives, appointed by the

Langkat Regent on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry

of Forestry since 2012 covering 524 Ha. In

Pangkalan Siata, there is a mangrove charcoal

industry managed by the community where the

community uses timber from the APL and HTR

areas.

The use of mangrove timber for the manufacture

of mangrove charcoal has long been carried out by

the community around the village of Pangkalan Siata.

The use of mangroves as charcoal raw material in

Indonesia in addition to Langkat District, can also be

found in East Aceh District, Batam City, Bengkalis

Regency and Kubu Raya Regency. Charcoal

production in each of these places aims to meet the

needs of local and export markets (Santoso, 2013;

Ritabulan, 2016).The utilization of mangrove

charcoal by the people of Pangkalan Siata is still

conventional and traditional. Therefore, the research

is aimed to find out the economic value of the use of

mangrove forests as a source of raw material for

mangrove charcoal industry for the community

around the mangrove forest in Pangkalan Siata

Village.

Delvian, ., Purwoko, A. and Ika Herawati, E.

Utilization of Mangrove Forest for Mangrove Charcoal in the Pangkalan Siata Village Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, Langkat Regency.

DOI: 10.5220/0009898100002480

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (ICNRSD 2018), pages 92-98

ISBN: 978-989-758-543-2

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Study Site

The study was conducted in the charcoal

manufacture industry owned by the community of

Pangkalan Siata Village, Pangkalan Susu

Subdistrict, Langkat Regency. The duration of study

was three months, starting from mid-June to mid-

September 2016.

2.2 Data Collection

The sample unit for data collection is all charcoal

industries that are still actively operating in

Pangkalan Siata. Data collection was carried out by

field surveys, interviews with owners of charcoal

industry, as well as secondary data collected from

related institutions, namely the Forestry and

Plantation Service and the Integrated Service Office

of Langkat Regency.

2.3 Data Analysis

Descriptive analysis was intended to describe the

condition of the mangrove manufacture industry in

Pangkalan Siata. The purpose of descriptive analysis

is to systematically describe the facts and

characteristics of the research object, namely the

mangrove charcoal industry appropriately.

Economical analysis of community income is

obtained from the cost of producing and the selling

price of mangrove charcoal. The data then is used to

calculate the economical benefits of mangrove

charcoal

craftsmen, as well as the average

income of workers in the mangrove charcoal

industry.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Mangrove Charcoal Industry in

Pangkalan Siata Village, Pangkalan

Susu Subdistrict

Based on field observations and interviews, charcoal

production in Pangkalan Siata in 1 unit of mangrove

charcoal kitchen stove is generally 1 ton for each

combustion cycle. Whereas the need for mangrove

wood as raw material for mangrove charcoal

industry is 4 tons or 3.32 m³ in 1 burning cycle. The

total capacity of mangrove charcoal production in 36

units of mangrove charcoal furnaces in the village is

61.5 tons for each combustion cycle. The required

timber as raw material for mangrove charcoal

industry for each burning cycle in the 36 units is is

204.18 m³. During the year, the average combustion

process in each charcoal kitchen stove is 8 times the

combustion cycle. Production capacity and needs of

mangrove wood in the mangrove charcoal industry

are presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Industrial need of mangrove charcoal industry in Pangkalan Siata Village

Description Volume Total volume

Number of charcoal kitchen stove 1 uni

36 uni

Production capacity 1 ton per cycle 61.5 ton per cycle

Timber requiremen

3.32 m³ 204.18 m³

Compared to other regions, on Sembilan and

Kampai Island, Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, Langkat

Regency, for each production of 10 kg charcoals,

approximately 5 m³ of mangrove timber are needed

for the process (Silalahi et al, 2016). Meanwhile,

based on the results of a survey in Yeesarn,

Thailand, for every 30 m³ of mangrove timber

(around 26.7 tons of dry matter), 5 tons of mangrove

charcoal were produced (Kridiborworn et al., 2012).

Thus, for each region, the need for mangrove timber

for charcoal production per ton is different. This is

possible because of differences in the treatment of

the mangrove charcoal burning process. According

to the results of interviews with charcoal craftsmen,

the dryness level of mangrove timber and fire

stability during combustion process also affected the

production of mangrove charcoal. Instability during

combustion will cause the resulting mangrove

charcoal to become more fragile and easily broken,

rendering production output. The architect of a

charcoal kitchen stove in Desa Pangkalan Siata can

be seen in Figure 1.

Utilization of Mangrove Forest for Mangrove Charcoal in the Pangkalan Siata Village Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, Langkat Regency

Figure 1: Charcoal stove in the industrial kitchen: Pre-combustion process (Left image) and during combustion process

(Right image)

3.2 Mangrove Charcoal Production

Process

Based on the results of interviews with charcoal

craftsmen, the process of making mangrove charcoal

is generally carried out for approximately 22

(twenty-two) days. The process starts from

collecting mangrove timber as raw material for

charcoal and collecting firewood for 2 (two) days.

The raw material for mangrove wood is obtained

from harvesters both in Production Forest (HP) and

Land Allocated for Other Purposes (APL),

depending on the owner membership of the

mangrove charcoal kitchen. The membership is

available to the Bina Usaha Farmers Group (for

locations on APL), as well as on the Community

Plantation Forest (HTR) management cooperative in

Production Forests (HP), namely the Coasta

Community Cooperative or the Wahana Hijau

Cooperative. Mangrove timber used as raw material

has an average stem diameter of 7–9 cm. The trunks

are cut in size around 1.5–2 m. In addition, firewood

is also collected mainly from rubber wood, api-api,

cingam, betel wood and other species.

The next process is to arrange mangrove wood

into the stove, which is done for approximately 1

(one) day. The composition of mangrove wood in

the stove corresponds to the straightness of

mangrove logs. Straight wood is arranged

horizontally, and the bent one is arranged vertically.

The arrangement is meant to allocate space

effectively in the solid furnace while heating during

combustion will also spread evenly. Heating is

performed through the fumigation system that comes

out of the combustion process. The burning process

is carried out for approximately 11 (eleven)

consecutive days. During this burning activity, the

fire must be maintained so as to produce constant

heat. This is done to maintain the quality of charcoal

produced. If the fire is not constant, it will cause the

mangrove charcoal to become brittle yet broken.

After the smoke of the combustion process begins to

fade and the smell of smoke has been quite stinging,

the fire is extinguished for the next stage, namely

cooling process. The process is performed for

approximately 3 (three) days. Cooling activities are

carried out by closing the entire smoke hole and

turning off the fire. After the cooling process, the

finished mangrove charcoal is ready to be removed

from the charcoal kitchen furnace. The charcoal is

then removed, collected and selected based on the

types of charcoal. The next process, charcoal is cut

to the size of the order, usually with a size of 20 cm.

Cutting is done by using a saw.

The last process is mangrove charcoal

packaging. After the cutting, charcoal is grouped

according to its quality. The process of selecting and

packaging mangrove charcoal is usually done by

females. In the production of mangrove charcoal

with a capacity of 1 ton, selection and packaging are

usually carried out by 3 (three) people. Charcoal that

has been grouped, is then arranged or packaged in

plastic sacks. The weight of charcoal in one package

is 25 kg, or according to consumer demand. After

packaging, mangrove charcoal is ready to be

marketed. The stages of the mangrove charcoal

production process are informed in Figure 2 while

the time budget for making the mangrove charcoal is

listed in Table 2.

ICNRSD 2018 - International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development

Figure 2: Schematic steps in mangrove charcoal production

Table 2: Production process of making mangrove charcoal based on time

Production steps Time allocation (da

)

Timber and firewood collectin

Arran

ement of man

rove timber inside stove 1

Combustion 11

Coolin

Charcoal expor

Selection on man

rove charcoal and packa

Total 22

3.3 Economic Profit of Mangrove

Charcoal Production

Based on the results of interviews with mangrove

charcoal craftsmen, the cost of mangrove charcoal

production in general for the production capacity of

1 (one) ton is distinguished from the source of raw

material for mangrove wood from APL and HP. In

the Production Forest, the utilization of mangrove

timber is managed in the permit for the management

of HTR which are burdened with Forest Resource

Provision or Provisi Sumber Daya Hutan (PSDH)

payments. The production costs are presented in

Table 3.

Charcoal Stove Preparation

Timber Collecting

Raw Material Sizing

Raw Material Inserted into Stove

Combustion Process

Cooling Process

Charcoal Export

Charcoal Packaging

Charcoal Selling

Utilization of Mangrove Forest for Mangrove Charcoal in the Pangkalan Siata Village Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, Langkat Regency

Table 3: Economic profit of mangrove charcoal industry capacity of 1 ton / year based on raw material source of mangrove

charcoal

Description

Source of raw material

APL HP

Cost of manufacturin

(IDR/ton/

) 14,000,000 14,624,960

Sale value (IDR/ton/

) 22,400,000 22,400,000

Economic profi

(IDR/ton/

) 8,400,000 7,775,040

Table 4: Economic profit of the entire mangrove charcoal industry of Pangkalan Siata Village are based on the source of

raw materials of mangrove charcoal

Description

Source of raw material

APL HP

Cost of manufacturin

(IDR/ton/

) 861,000,000 899,435,040

Sale value (IDR/ton/

) 1,377,600,000 1,377,600,000

Economic profi

(IDR/ton/

) 516,600,000 478,164,960

If the production capacity of the mangrove charcoal

industry is 61.5 tons / burning cycle (or equal to 492

tons / year), then the economic profits of the

mangrove charcoal industry in 1 year can be

concluded as presented in Table 4

Thus, the economic profits of the entire

mangrove charcoal industry in Pangkalan Siata are

on average of 497,382,480 IDR per year. The lowest

income of workers in the mangrove charcoal

industry is from the mangrove timber compiler and

packaging which is 100,000 IDR per person in 1

burning cycle or 800,000 IDR per year. The highest

income is mangrove wood harvesters, which is

375,000 IDR per person for 1 burning cycle or

3,000,000 IDR per year. Based on the cost of

making mangrove charcoal for 1 ton of mangrove

charcoal production capacity, the general income for

each workforce in the mangrove charcoal industry is

presented in Table 5.

Table 5: Community income in mangrove charcoal industry

Labor

Income

(IDR/c

cle)

Income

(IDR/

)

Man

rove timber harvesters 375,000 3,000,000

Firewood harvesters 150,000 1,200,000

Firewood compile

100,000 800,000

Fire mana

emen

250,000 2,000,000

Charcoal mana

emen

150,000 1,200,000

Charcoal selectors and packa

100,000 800,000

Avera

e income 187,500 1,500,000

In general, the average labor income that works in

the mangrove charcoal industry is 187,500 per

burning cycle or 1,500,000 IDR per year. This

income is an additional income because each worker

does not rely his life only from the mangrove

charcoal industry. The main profession of workers in

the mangrove charcoal industry in general is

fishermen, both traditional and modern fishermen.

The average income of the fishermen from

Pangkalan Siata is around 1,200,000 to 2,200,000

IDR per month or 14,400.00 up to 26,400,000 per

year. The income is generally not enough to meet

family needs, causing fishermen find additional

income by working in the mangrove charcoal

industry.

3.4 Economic Condition of Community

Working at Mangrove Charcoal

Industry

Fishermen in Pangkalan Siata village are divided

into 2 (two) categories, namely traditional and

modern fishermen. Traditional fishermen are

individuals characterized by conventional fishing

apparatus, small engine boats and one-time fishing

for a day. Modern fishermen are equipped with

motorized boats, with capacity of 4-5 people on a

boat, and fish in the sea for about 6 (six) days.

Traditional fishermen are only able to work as much

as 22 (twenty two) days a month considering the

existence of high tides for 8 (eight) days and

ICNRSD 2018 - International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development

operating on the periphery with boats and simple

fishing gear, so that the results obtained are in small

amounts (Eriza, 2010). Modern fishermen can go to

sea every day without any apparent obstacles, both

in the middle sea and on the outskirts of the

traditional fishing area. Based on field observations

with fishermen in Pangkalan Siata, the average

income of the fishermen are between 1,200,000 to

2,200,000 IDR per month. Fishermen's income data

in Gebang District, Langkat Regency in 2012 was

1,407,637 IDR (Wirani et al., 2013).

The minimum level of income per month of

the fishermen population in Langkat Regency is

55,000, IDR while the highest is 7,440,000 with an

average income of 1,259,207 IDR. Based on these

data, the income of Pangkalan Siata is still included

into the category of average income of fishermen in

Langkat District. Based on the reference from the

Central Statistics Agency or Badan Pusat Statistik

(BPS), the fishermen community of Pangkalan Siata

is not included in the category of poor families.

Even so, with fishermen's income of 1,200,000 to

2,200,000 IDR per month, it is still considered

insufficient to meet the needs of the fishing

community. For this reason, Pangkalan Siata

fishermen seek additional income from the

mangrove charcoal industry.

Communities involved in the mangrove charcoal

industry have an average income from the mangrove

charcoal industry of 187,500 per burning cycle or

1,500,000 IDR per year. The income is indirectly

influenced by the relatively low selling price of

mangrove charcoals, which are 2,800 IDR per kg.

The price of mangrove charcoal varies depending on

the local market and the quality of the mangrove

charcoal. The selling price of mangrove charcoal in

Secanggang District, Langkat Regency varies

according to the quality of the charcoal product.

Starting from the best quality, the prices are 1,000,

700, 600 and 350 IDR per kg (Rumapea, 2005). The

price of mangrove charcoal is based on quality,

namely for quality A is 1,500 IDR per kg, quality B

is 1,250 IDR per kg, charcoal cataw 1,000 IDR per

kg and charcoal dust 300 IDR per kg (Direktorat

Bina Rehabilitasi Hutan dan Lahan, 2008). In

addition to the selling price of mangrove charcoal,

factors considered to affect the economic benefits of

the mangrove charcoal industry are the intensity of

combustion and the capacity of mangrove charcoal

production.

The mangrove charcoal industry in Pangkalan

Siata is 36 units, with mangrove charcoal production

capacity in general is 1 ton, with 8 cycles of burning

resulting in an average economic profit of

497,382,480 IDR per year. According to the results

of study in East Aceh Regency, with the number of

mangrove charcoal kitchens as much as 475 units,

production capacity of 500 kg, burning intensity 24

times / year and the price of mangrove charcoal of

1,200 IDR per kg; the economic profits from the

mangrove charcoal industry is 10,680,000 IDR

(Kurniawan, 2008). Judging from the data of the

mangrove charcoal industry in Pangkalan Siata,

production capacity is inversely proportional to the

number of combustion cycles. The greater the

production capacity of a charcoal kitchen, the fewer

burning cycles per year, because the burning process

will become longer if the mangrove charcoal

produced is more and more in a charcoal kitchen

unit. Economically, the profits will be even greater if

the selling price of mangrove charcoal per kilogram

becomes more expensive.

The economic profits of Pangkalan Siata

villagers from the utilization of mangrove forests for

the mangrove charcoal industry are needed to be

linked to the sustainability of mangrove forests. The

economy development to improve the community

must be related with sustainable development.

Sustainable development is a human effort to

improve the quality of life by not overexploiting the

natural resources beyond life-supporting carrying

capacity of ecosystem. In this case the fulfillment of

economic development, namely the charcoal

mangrove industry must be endeavored not to

exceed the capacity of mangrove forest ecosystems

to remain sustainable. Thus, the community of

Pangkalan Siata may continue to meet the economic

needs of utilizing mangrove forests for the mangrove

charcoal industry, without neglecting the

sustainability aspects of the mangrove forest itself.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results of the study, the economic

profits of 36 (thirty six) mangrove charcoal

industrial units in Pangkalan Siata village on average

are 497,382,480 IDR per year. Labors’ income in the

mangrove charcoal industry is on average 1,500,000

IDR/ton/year, indicating that the business of

mangrove charcoal industry can only be used as

additional work for the community. In realizing

sustainable development to preserve mangrove

forests, it is necessary to develop mangrove charcoal

production technology to improve the utilization

efficiency of mangrove timber. By doing so, the

mangrove forests may remain sustainable along with

prosperity of communities around the forest.

Utilization of Mangrove Forest for Mangrove Charcoal in the Pangkalan Siata Village Pangkalan Susu Subdistrict, Langkat Regency

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ICNRSD 2018 - International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development