According to the provincial Forestry Agency, there are 23,000 hectares of critical forest in Bali, or 18 percent of the total 130,000 hectares of forest. The agency claimed that 13,000 hectares of the critical areas had been restored. Illegal logging mostly occurred in forest areas in Jembrana, near the Gilimanuk seaport, because the forest boasts high-value timber. Around 9,000 hectares of the critical land is located in Buleleng in north Bali, while 5,500 hectares is located in Karangasem, in the east part of the island. In addition to man-made destruction, the forests were also damaged by natural disasters.
The most recent disaster was the forest fire affecting Mount Agung and surrounding areas in east Bali. The local government estimated that the area affected by a series of forest fires during the year had reached 250 hectares. There are around 15,000 hectares of forest in the east of Bali.
This month, the agency, with the Indonesian Military, will jointly replant forest in the east of Bali, including Mount Agung, Mount Abang and the Seraya hills. Due to geographical barriers, they will carry out the replanting by spreading the seeds from the air using helicopters. The seeds to be spread include eucalyptus and pine, the main plant species in the forests.