If we visit the teak forests in Java, we will see that these areas have other Economic Function of Java Teak Forest.
Many Pesanggem (farmers) who live in teak forest villages use teak tree bark as wall material for their houses. Teak leaves, which are wide and hairy and fall in the dry season, they use as food wrappers and goods. Teak branches and twigs provide fuel for many households in teak forest villages.
Teak forests mainly provide arable land. Between the teak trees, the farmers plant crops in rows. From the teak forest itself, they can earn additional income in the form of honey, a number of carbohydrate food sources, and medicines.
Food substitutes for rice grown in teak forests, for example, are gadung (Dioscorea hispida) and uwi (Dioscorea alata). In fact, teak forest villagers also use iles-iles (Amorphophallus) during famine. Traditional medicinal plants such as kencur (Alpina longa), turmeric (Curcuma domestica), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and temu lawak (Curcuma longa) grow in this forest area.
Teak trees also produce clusters of whitish flowers that bloom shortly after dawn. The best teak flower pollination occurs around the center of the heart—each flower lives for only one day. Pollination of flowers is carried out by many insects, but especially by types of bees. Therefore, residents can also often harvest bee honey from teak forests.
Teak forest village communities in Java also used to raise livestock such as buffalo, cows, and goats. This type of livestock requires grass as feed. Although farmers sometimes find it easy to get grass in their fields or fields, they mostly use forest land as a source of fodder production. By simply releasing livestock into the forest, livestock will get the various types of feed they need. The time that is not used by farming families to collect grass can be used for other activities. Economic Function of Java Teak Forest