akar.earth
Topic

Tree Species for Carbon Projects in Indonesia

Updated · 2 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

Tree species for carbon projects in Indonesia: profiles of 30 timber, fruit, agroforestry and mangrove species with growth, wood density, allometry and fit.

This section profiles 30 tree species used in Indonesian carbon, restoration and agroforestry projects, covering botany, native range, growth, typical rotation, wood density range, how biomass is estimated, and the role and risks of each species. Use it to shortlist species before you build a planting plan or carbon model.

Species choice drives almost everything in an ARR or agroforestry project: how fast carbon accumulates, how many seedlings survive, whether farmers keep the trees, and how buyers view the credits.

How each species page is organised

Every profile follows the same structure:

  1. Botany and range. What the tree is and where it grows naturally.
  2. Growth and rotation. Growth habit and typical rotation or productive life.
  3. Wood density. Given as a range, because it varies with site, age and provenance.
  4. Allometry. Which equation approach applies, such as the Chave et al. 2014 pantropical model with wood density, or species-specific equations where published.
  5. Project role. Where the species fits in ARR, agroforestry or blue carbon.
  6. Risks. Invasiveness, monoculture, harvest and permanence.

Species groups

Fast-growing timber. Sengon, Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus pellita, jabon and gmelina. High early growth and good farmer income from harvest. Watch harvest cycles, which affect permanence, and invasiveness for some exotics.

Native and high-value timber. Meranti, ulin, teak, mahogany and agarwood. Slower growth but large long-term carbon stocks and strong restoration value. Seedling supply and early survival can be challenging.

Fruit, nut and spice trees. Durian, petai, jackfruit, candlenut, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and coconut. Popular with farmers because they give regular income, which supports permanence. Often the backbone of agroforestry.

Commodity crops. Arabica coffee, robusta coffee, cacao, rubber and oil palm. Usually the main crop rather than the carbon tree, and all EUDR commodities. Shade trees planted with them provide most of the extra carbon.

Coastal and mangrove species. Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Sonneratia alba and the coastal tree nyamplung. Used in blue carbon restoration, where matching species to tidal zone matters more than growth rate.

Other. Bamboo, which grows fast and is useful for restoration and livelihoods but is measured differently from trees.

Choosing species

No species is best everywhere. Balance four factors:

  • Site match. Soil, rainfall, elevation and, for mangroves, tidal inundation.
  • Carbon. Growth rate, wood density and long-term size.
  • Livelihoods. What farmers will keep, tend and not cut.
  • Ecology. Native status, biodiversity value and invasiveness risk.

Species selection for carbon and livelihoods works through these trade-offs. Choosing allometric equations explains how to estimate biomass when local equations are missing.

Estimating carbon

Each profile links to the single tree CO2 calculator, which turns diameter, height and wood density into an estimate of stored CO2. For a whole planting plan, use the ARR carbon estimator. Treat both as first estimates; a project needs field measurements and a methodology-compliant model.

Species pages sit within the ARR hub, with mangrove species also part of the blue carbon hub. For smallholder systems, see the agroforestry hub. All 30 species pages are listed below.

Frequently asked questions

Which tree species store the most carbon in Indonesia?

Over a project lifetime, large, long-lived, dense-wooded native trees such as meranti and ulin store the most per tree, while fast-growing species such as sengon, acacia and eucalyptus accumulate carbon fastest early on. Per-hectare results depend on site, spacing, survival and harvest.

Should carbon projects plant native or exotic species?

Native and multipurpose species usually score better on biodiversity, community acceptance and buyer perception. Fast-growing exotics deliver early tonnes but raise invasiveness, monoculture and harvest risks. Many projects mix both.

How is carbon estimated for a species?

With an allometric equation that converts diameter, height and wood density into biomass, then a carbon fraction to convert biomass to carbon and a factor of 44/12 to convert carbon to CO2. The Chave et al. 2014 pantropical model is widely used where species-specific equations are lacking.

Tree species

Sources

  1. Verra – VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation v1.1
  2. Plan Vivo
Ask a specialist