USU-PR: Entering the change of academic year from even semester to odd semester, students of the 2021 batch of the Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, have carried out the Forest Ecosystem Introduction Practice (P2EH). This practice is a course that must be followed by all USU Forestry Study Program students, in addition to Field Work Practices (PKL), which will be carried out the following year.

129 Forestry Study Program students participated in P2EH along with 22 field assistants, 4 field assistants, 4 supervisors, and the committee following the activities carried out in the Forest Area with Special Purposes (KHDTK) Pondok Buluh Training Forest, Dolok Panribuan District, Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra. The location is a mainland forest with an altitude of 1,250m above sea level near the Lake Toba area.

The 10-day course introduced students to forest ecosystems through forest vegetation analysis, wildlife observation, identification of flora and fauna including non-timber forest products (NTFPs), wildlife observation and socio-economic studies of forest communities, as well as community service in the form of establishing family medicinal plant (TOGA) areas. Students are also given theoretical and practical knowledge of basic training for living in the forest, as a competency that a forester must possess. Materials on travel management, first aid, survival, and mountaineering will be practiced directly in the field.

Students practice designing/planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating activities. By participating in this activity, it is hoped that in the future, students or alumni of the USU Forestry Study Programme will be ready to work anywhere and get used to living in the outdoors.

Dean of the USU Faculty of Forestry, Dr. Rudi Hartono, S.Hut, M.S, on the occasion, asked the students to be serious and enjoy P2EH activities as a place to learn the real world of forestry work. According to him, USU’s Faculty of Forestry’s alumni have been known to struggle (resilient) and can adapt to new environments in the field.

In other remarks, USU Forestry Study Programme Chair Dr. Tito Sucipto and P2EH Chair Yunus Afifuddin, M.Si, emphasized the need to foster a sense of cohesion and group cohesiveness. Living in the field (forest) to complete practical tasks cannot only be done alone. So team management is needed for the division of tasks, rights, and obligations of each student.

P2EH is a 1 credit course that must be taken by USU Forestry Study Program students in semester 4. The implementation is for 10 days during the holiday period between even semesters to odd semesters. Indirectly P2EH is a form of "independent learning", namely direct learning at the site level.

Next year these students will also carry out Field Work Practices (PKL) 2 credits for one month and the independent campus learning independence program (MBKM) 20 credits, in accordance with the USU Forestry Study Program curriculum based on Outcame BAse Education (OBE) and MBKM. (RJ)

Author: Renny Julia - Humas

Interviewee: - - -

Photographer: Amri Simatupang - Humas