Efforts to Keep Forest Sustainability and Economic Improvement for the Community around Perum PERHUTANI through Product Design Approach.

Defragmentation and deforestation will endanger forest as the producer of industry’s raw materials as well as the sustainability of the industry itself. In Indonesia, Perum Perhutani is a state owned enterprise that has a responsibility to manage forest. The most laudable step that this enterprise has proceeded with is the formulation of cooperative forest management model (PHBM). However, PHBM model has not succeed in alleviating the poverty in the community around the forest. Because of that, a sustainable empowerment and optimalization for the utilization of forest products through product design approach is needed. This study is conducted in multiyear scheme. The first stage focused on the empowerment of the community around the forest through the utilization of twig in the production of high priced products. This study uses qualitative method with design approach. The samples are selected based on one stage sampling, or non-probability sampling. This study uses process design for handicraft and furniture from teak twig as a strategy in conducting the study. Therefore, the products must be well designed in order to be accepted by the market. This study is performed through following steps: analysis of potency and characteristic of the twig, designing as well as sketching, drawing working, prototype, intellectual property right registration, and socialization of study results to the community around the forest. The utilization of twig as a raw material of high priced handycraft and furniture products. The socialization covers twig based design, and production process and technique. Besides on the potency of twig, the socialization also provides the information about the danger of illegal logging for the environment and production sustainability. Keywords: twig, empowerment, community around the forest