Forest Status in North Sumatra: Largest Portion for Protected Forests

According to data from the Ministry of Forestry, the forest area in North Sumatra Province reached 1.93 million hectares in 2024.

This figure refers to the area of forested land, or areas where trees and natural ecosystems grow, located within "legally designated forest areas" and "other use areas."

"Legally designated forest areas" are areas legally designated by the government for forestry functions, encompassing conservation forests, protected forests, and production forests.

Meanwhile, "other use areas" (APL) are areas outside "legally designated forest areas" that are used for non-forestry activities, such as agriculture, plantations, mining, infrastructure development, and settlements.

In 2024, approximately 1.75 million hectares (91%) of North Sumatra's forests were within legally designated forest areas, and the remaining 178 thousand hectares (9%) were within APL.

Of the 1.75 million hectares of North Sumatra's forests within "legally designated forest areas," approximately 41% are protected forests, and 21% are conservation forests.

Protected forests are forests that function to protect life support systems, such as regulating water systems, preventing floods, controlling erosion, preventing seawater intrusion, and maintaining soil fertility.

Meanwhile, conservation forests function for the preservation of plant, animal, and ecosystem diversity with specific characteristics.

The remaining 37% are production forests, including permanent production forests, limited production forests, or convertible production forests.

Production forests are forests whose primary function is to produce timber and non-timber forest products. Generally, production forests are planted with a few types of commercially valuable plants, such as teak trees, acacia trees, rubber trees, and so on.

Some production forests can also be converted for uses outside the forestry sector, such as agriculture, plantations, and settlements.

Below are the details of the forest area within "legally designated forest areas" in North Sumatra based on their functional status in 2024:

• Protected forests: 724.1 thousand hectares (41% of the total forest area within "legally designated forest areas" in North Sumatra)
• Conservation forests: 375.8 thousand hectares (21%)
• Permanent, limited, and convertible production forests: 653.9 thousand hectares (37%)