Following the discovery by a logging company in East Kalimantan that the local pioneer Ficus variegata trees grew very rapidly once forest cover had been removed and additionally the timber is ideal for the surface layer of plywood. A number of experimental plantations have started growing Ficus variegata for timber in Kalimantan.
In 2015, the Indonesian Forest Department Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan (KPH) organized a Ficus variegata seed collection expedition to the interior of East Kalimantan in order to collect ripe seeds from 20 different trees for growing in KPH plots in Kalimantan and Java. These F. variegata plants will be used for experimental breeding.
Haryjanto dan Hadiyan (2014) Eksplorasi benih nyawai Kuati Barat, Kalimantan
Cultivation of Pohon Nyawai (Ficus variegata Blume) in Indonesian. According to this report, in East Kalimnatan saplings grow to an average of 5.1 m after 3 years. They also start fruiting after 3 years.
Most of the Ficus variegata plantations however have been grown from cuttings taken from only a few trees, which could result in genetic problems. Hence the need to preserve genetic diversity in ex situ plots.
Photos courtesy of https://www.planterandforester.com/2020/04/ficus-variegata-blume-alias-nyawai.html
