Specification :

Agarwood is a kind of wood is known for having a distinctive aroma and can be used for various purposes such as perfume, air freshener, incense ( prayer complement Buddhists and Confucian) , medicine, and so forth. usually people known as the tree Karas ato Phn Garu.

aloe is because there are special pelakuan against some types of trees that are deliberately made to be aloes. perlakukannya traditionally with good tree injuring the nail or in t, if the modern use of Fusarium fungus oxyporus one name that is injected into the tree. Indonesia alone has 6 types of trees that can be aloes.

Aloes also have different quality levels of the higher quality is usually a black color is increasingly muahal compared with lower quality ( Kemedangan / flakes) usually brownish black color.
That is why wood is also referred to as aloeswood aloes ( aloe wood) . Other trade names are Agarwood, heartwood, and the eagle. In the international market, pure agarwood is traded in the form of wood, powder and oil ( perfume) . Aloes wood can be very high-value craft materials, or equipment for religious ceremonies. Aloe powder used for incense / hundred, and its oil is a top class perfumes. The powder of aloes as incense would be burned directly in religious rituals. Both Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Thao, Shinto, Islam and Catholicism. Aloes wood is called the timber of the gods. The smell of aloes therefore believed to purify the altar and other religious equipment.

Also agarwood incense is also used to scent the room, hair and clothes of the nobility. The smell of aloes will be used as aromatherapy in upscale spas. In addition to religious rites, perfumes and cosmetics, aloe products are also often associated with things of a mystical. Both are used, especially the search process from nature. Intake of aloe from the forest, it is always done traditionally, with a variety of local customs and rituals. Search aloes in difficult locations, must use an airplane or helicopter. Several times aircraft and helicopters eaglewood, lost in the jungle in Borneo, to reinforce the impression of a mystical aloe products.

# # #

Eaglewood is a resin ( resin, pig) from the genus Aquilaria tree, which grows in the jungle of India, Southeast Asia ( including Indonesia) and South China. Until now, Indonesia is still the largest supplier of aloe products in the world. Although population growth Aquilaria big enough, but not all trees produce agarwood. Because the resin was just going out, if plants are infected by the mold ( fungus) Phialophora parasitica. As a result of infection, plant sap out that aroma is very fragrant. This sap will clot in a log. Seekers of wood called gaharu resin as a pig. Aquilaria uninfected plants Phialophora parasitica, will not aromatic.

Aquilaria genus consists of 22 species: A. ( Aquilaria) agallocha; A. apiculata; A. baillonii; A. banaensis; A. beccariana; A. brachyantha; A. citrinicarpa; A. crassna; A. cumingiana; A. filaria; A.grandiflora; A. hirta; A. malaccensis; A. microcarpa; A. ophispermum; A. parvifolia; A. pentandra; A. rostrata; A. sinensis; A. subintegra; A. urdanetensis; A. yunnanensis. Of the 22 species, which can be infected with mold, Phialophora parasitica there are only eight species, namely: A. agallocha; A. crassna; A. grandiflora; A. malaccensis; A. ophispermum; A. pentandra; A. sinensis; and Aquilaria yunnanensis. Of the eight species, the most potential to produce agarwood is A. malaccensis and A. agallocha.

Aloes are now on the market, it all comes from poaching from the forest. Eaglewood seekers, sometimes not distinguish, where the existing timber gubalnya, and what does not. Until all the levels found in Aquilaria trees will be felled. As a result, Aquilaria wood population continues to erode and increasingly rare. In the meeting of the 13th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES CoP 13) in Bangkok, Thailand, 2 to 14 October 2004, the genus Aquilaria have been included in Appendix II. Until taking aloe from nature, actually banned. But because of the high value of agarwood, the search continues aloes from the forest without being able to be prevented.

The genus Aquilaria is a tree with a height of 20 m and diameter 60 cm, which grows in wet tropical rainforest, ranging from altitude 0 to 1000 m. asl. Aquilaria can live on various types of soil. Starting from the soil humus, sand, clay, calcareous, until rocky. Eaglewood including drought resistant plants, and also survive in the shade. Young plant, it requires a lot of water, and shelter. Aquilaria usually grown under canopy palms or ferns. Aquilaria breeding from seed. Aquilaria fruit in the form of a hard pod, with a length between 2.5 sd. 3 cm. Seeds easily dikecambahkan in a damp and warm, but sheltered from the hot sun.

# # #

In optimum conditions, Aquilaria tree will be able to grow very rapidly. The definition of optimum conditions is, air temperature, humidity, sunlight, water and elements haranya enough. Although Aquilaria survival in various kinds of soil, but he will grow optimally in the fertile humus soil, the topsoil is thick enough. Not all that grows in the forest Aquilaria merupakah gaharu producer. Aloe products, new will happen, if Aquilaria wood infected by the fungus Phialophora parasitica. Plants that are not infected with mold Aquilaria Phialophora parasitica, will only become common wood that has no fragrance. Unlike sandalwood ( Sandal Wood, Santalum album) , whose wood is already fragrant.

To defend themselves, who are already infected plant Aquilaria Phialophora parasitica fungus will produce sap resin ( java: blendok) . These resins will clot and form a pig. Cambium formation process took place very slowly. Can be tens or even hundreds of years. Resin and sections of infected wood is what will produce fragrant aroma that is second to none in the world. Agarwood aroma is so typical to almost impossible disintetis. Manufacture of synthetic aloes, the result will be more expensive compared with natural aloe. Cambium formation process lasts very long, is also one cause of the high aloe products.

Phialophora fungi genus consists of eight active species: Phialophora americana, Phialophora bubakii, Phialophora europaea, Phialophora parasitica, Phialophora reptans, Phialophora repens, Phialophora richardsiae, and Phialophora verrucosa. Of the eight species, which serves merely Aquilaria wood infecting fungus Phialophora parasitica. Other species is a fungal pathogen, which can infect humans and cause disease. Malaysia and Indonesia, was able to isolate the fungus Phialophora parasitica, for inoculated into the Aquilaria tree.

In Indonesia, among other aloes research conducted by the Research and Botany / LIPI, Research and Development Agency Department of Forestry and the University of Mataram in Mataram, Lombok. University of Mataram, in fact already doing trial planting of aloes, and infected him with the fungus Phialophora parasitica. Unfortunately, plants that do not form a pig had been stolen. The thief is thought, that together with sandalwood aloes wood. While sandalwood also require at least 30 years for timber region contribute to the level of fragrance prime. Aloes that have been infected with this, it continued to take tens of years for gubalnya can be harvested.

# # #

Given the high value of agarwood, and also its rarity, the cultivation of aloes is increasingly urgent. Create Aquilaria forest, can be done easily. Because of this genus are relatively easy plant is cultivated and tolerant with the location to grow a very extreme though. Phialophora parasitica isolate the mold also can be done in the laboratory the University of Mataram. Plants infected with the fungus Phialophora parasitica Aquilaria have also successfully found the method. The problem, to develop it into a commercial scale, it takes a long time. Eaglewood good quality, will be formed after the process during dozens or even hundreds of years.

The owners of capital, will think again if the new investment will be back in tens or even hundreds of years to come. Officials in the scope of local government, nor would refuse to design new projects that the level of success will be measured in tens or even hundreds of years later. Not to mention the disruption of society who do not know about aloes. They assume that Aquilaria plants that have been infected by fungus Phialophora parasitica, will soon be cut down to be taken gaharunya. Ignorance of this community, also caused by at least the publication of aloes. The reporters who know aloes, the numbers are still very small.

In this situation, the search for gaharu in the forest becomes the only alternative. In Papua, aloes searches performed even by entrepreneurs with a very immoral way. Employers know that the people of Papua, was addicted to liquor. Presented only with a few cans of beer, they' re willing to search for gaharu. When aloe has been obtained, also offers women entrepreneurs to the inventor of aloes. These unfortunate women were brought from Java, the most by gullible to look for a decent job in Freeport or the timber company. On arrival in Papua, they were only used as bait to obtain aloes. ( R) # # #