The trees of Bali

Long ago Bali enjoyed dense forests, with jati (teak) trees covering parts of the north coast. Nowadays there is not much forest left, with the last dense section of jungle around Mt. Batukaru in Tabanan. Lowland forest is mostly gone except for patches located in gorges in places such as the Bali Barat National Park in west Bali.

Like the rest of the country, Bali has an amazing mix of species, most commonly belonging to the large trees of the Dipterocarp family. At elevations higher than 1,200 meters are montane forests, with thick leaves and colorful vegetation, creating a different type of environment to lower elevations. Ferns are common, as are epiphytes, including orchids, growing on the branches of tress. As altitude increases, trees become smaller, leading into bushes and patches of vegetation. Higher up is the sub-alpine level, which is home to mosses and lichens. In the drier areas of Bali one will find deciduous forests, that lose their leaves in dry season, this is the monsoon forest and is found mostly in the Bali Barat National Park.

The use of trees was well regulated in Bali by adat (traditional laws and custom). Apart from individual gardens and fields, useful trees are often found in community-owned ‘agroforests‘ mixing natural species and planted trees. However, modern times and increasing populations create a greater demand on the shrinking forests. With farmers finding it difficult to maintain trees, especially the slow-growing hardwood varieties. Balinese locals can be seen in late afternoons carrying bundles of wood on their heads, to be used as firewood. It has been known for a foreigner to buy land and have the locals chop all the trees down for firewood, soon after the land is sold. In many areas, forested hills are becoming bald. A few organizations are struggling to help farmers plant trees. These include: Bhakti Wahana Bali (0818 344 654) and Yayasan Wisnu (0361) 735 320.

The island of Bali is a garden of plants used for rituals and daily life. Simply walking down the
quiet lanes in Seminyak or the around of a major hotel, you will see people picking flowers from
trees with a bamboo pole, to be used in offerings. The tall trees found near cemeteries or temples are often remnants of the original forest. Balinese believe these trees are inhabited by spirits and demons. They preserve and worship them, dress their trunks with sacred, symbolic white and yellow clothes, and place shrines at their feet or in their branches. The most common are the relatives of the fig tree, especially the massive beringin (banyan), a symbol of immortality, found next to almost every village temple. Another sacred species is the milk wood tree or pule (Alstonia). It is believed to contain the spirit of Durga, the goddess of death. Its soft wood, easy to carve, is used to make dance masks, in particular the fearsome masks of the Witch Rangda used in ritual dances. Witches are believed to congregate around a relative of the silk-cotton tree, the kepuh (Bombax).

Bali’s floral emblem is akin to mahogany, with plain flowers and is called the majegau tree (Dysoxylum densiflorum). Its sweet-smelling wood, known for its strength and beauty, can only be used in sacred buildings or to construct royal cremation towers. Once found in every village, it is now becoming rare. All around the island other flower species such as the champak, frangipani, hydrangea, canaga, boungainvillea, and hibiscus, found in all compounds, are used for offerings. The lotus that is important in Buddhism has been carried through into Balinese Hinduism. Its delicate silhouette graces gardens as well as natural wetlands.

Trees and palm seen along roadsides reflect Bali’s long agricultural traditions and contact with the outside world. These are the plants of daily life, such as the coconut, bamboo, banana, sugar cane, betel leaf, and areca nut. They are used as food or medicine, or as materials for utensils, ritual offerings, or construction. Bamboo and palm trees grow fast, reaching unbelievable heights in a matter of months, where a hardwood tree would take many years. Bamboos and palms, like the coconut and lontar, are grown for almost every possible use, from food to water carriers, parchment to clothing.

Original from India, the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), well adapted to semi-dry areas, is known in Bali as intaran. Its fruit, seeds, oil, leaves, roots and bark have many uses in traditional Indian medicine. Brought to Bali hundreds of years ago, probably by Indian traders, it is now common in the driest areas, where nothing else will thrive. Neem oil is also a natural way to protect crops, animals and people from insects. It contains a substance which affects the insects behaviour by mimicking a hormone. Instead of killing the pests, it prevents them from attacking plants and reduces their growth and reproduction without all the harmful effects associated with insecticides.

Wood is mostly imported from neighbouring islands, such as teak from East Java or ironwood
and meranti from Kalimantan. Most furniture sold in Bali originates in Java, the finishing being done in Bali. With only a few thousand hectares of forest, local timber production can’t meet the demand, even taking account of some illegally logged timber. Local wood represents only a small part of the 50,000 cubic meters annually needed by the woodcarving industry, and mostly originates from small plantings of fast growing leguminous trees on private lands.Riding around the area north of Ubud, one will often see locals at roadside busy carving a large piece of wood, for sale downtown or in Tegallalang, another carving center.

Perhaps more surprising, Bali is becoming more and more dependent on its neighbours for
supplying some basic but very important agricultural products that are needed in large quantities for daily life and religious ceremonies. Bamboos, coconuts, and young coconut leaves for making offerings are imported from Java. Jackfruit wood for building shrines comes from East Java and Sulawesi, and ijuk, the black fiber of sugar palm used for thatching temples, from Java and Lombok.

In fact, many of the 335 or so native and introduced plants used in rituals are becoming hard to find. Even the gardens of Eden are starting to suffer from ecological erosion. The best bamboo comes from a place called Bona, close to Ubud. Its the best bamboo because of its straightness and even diameter. Many villas and hotels have bamboo / alang-alang roofs and the demand puts pressure on the supply.

One expat had a story about buying a tree 1 meter in diameter in Lombok. He had to pay for the wood, for the tree to be cut down and then for the tree to be sliced into sections. A customer had asked for a large chunk to be cut into a right-angle on 2 sides, the uncut sides to be curved. The expat called his man in Lombok, sent him a letter with a diagram and still had to go out to Lombok on a plane because the guy didn’t understand. People working in the antiques trade in Bali are always looking for kayu jati (teak wood), in large slabs. Hard to find these days due to the immense deforestation in Indonesia and corrupt local officials benefiting from its removal. Some people even import wood from S. America.

To explore Bali’s last true section of jungle, you might stay at the Eco Lodge in Sarinbuana. It is possible from there to hike in the jungle up to Mt. Batukaru, camping overnight.