The UGM Faculty of Forestry organized a two-day orientation program on August 2-3, 2023, themed “Passion of Foresters Achieves Empowered Indonesia.”
With this theme, the program aims to cultivate empowered young foresters with strong fighting spirit, social consciousness, environmental love, and critical thinking skills, equipping them with the necessary means to contribute significantly to the development of sustainable forests.
As part of the program, 295 new students, referred to as young foresters, participated in the “Bhakti Pertiwi” activity, which involves planting seedlings of the Dendrobium orchid.
Dendrobium is an epiphytic orchid commonly used as an ornamental plant in indoor spaces or gardens. The “Bhakti Pertiwi” activity followed the “Mancakrida Rimbawan,” which consisted of outbound activities with five game stations.
This activity aims to introduce and cultivate early awareness and a sense of care among young foresters for their surrounding environment.
Orchid seedlings and planting media were provided through a collaboration between the committee and the Center for Agrotechnology Innovation (PIAT), which gave 50 orchid seedlings for the activity.
Under the guidance of their respective mentors, each group of students planted five orchid seedlings. The orchids were grown on designated trees within the UGM Wisdom Park area, as selected by the organizing committee.
The planted orchids will be handed over to the management of UGM Wisdom Park for further care and maintenance. This activity also aims to educate young foresters about the importance of environmental conservation and natural preservation through the role of orchids in the ecosystem.
Author: Agung Nugroho