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| Jangkang hosts Aquilaria and Gyrinops, including Aquilaria filaria species. Credit photo: the author. |
In the rain-soaked forests of Jangkang, a remote district in West Kalimantan, agarwood grows quietly.
No one planted it. No one tends it. The trees simply appear, scattered among dense tropical growth, as they have for generations.
When asked where they come from, local residents offer a simple explanation: they grow by the will of the Creator.
Agarwood, known internationally as agarwood or oud, is among the world’s most valuable forest products. It forms only when certain trees are naturally wounded and infected by fungi, triggering the production of a dark, fragrant resin.
In Jangkang, the species most commonly encountered belong to the genera Aquilaria and Gyrinops, members of the Thymelaeaceae family. One species identified through local knowledge and morphology is Aquilaria filaria.
Indonesia is home to at least 26 recognized agarwood species. Seven of those grow in the free forest areas surrounding Jangkang. Yet abundance does not translate into unrestricted access. Local customary law strictly limits harvesting.
Outsiders are not permitted to collect agarwood here, and even residents approach it with restraint. Of the seven genera present, only two, Aquilaria and Gyrinops, are traditionally used, and only selectively.
A Commodity Worth Millions, Handled With Restraint
On the global market, agarwood is a luxury commodity. Prices vary dramatically depending on resin content, aroma, density, and age.
Lower-grade agarwood can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. High-grade material, rich, dark, and intensely aromatic, can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes more.
More valuable still is agarwood oil, distilled from resinous wood. In the niche world of high-end perfumery, particularly in the Middle East and parts of Europe, pure oud oil is sold by the drop, not by the bottle. It is used in perfumes, religious incense, traditional medicine, and ceremonial practices.
For collectors and perfumers, agarwood is not merely a material but an experience, prized for its depth and complexity.
Yet in Jangkang, agarwood is not treated as a windfall. Resin is removed only from sections of wood that clearly contain it, identified by their dark coloration and scent. Large trunks without resin are left in the forest to decay naturally. There is no effort to maximize yield. There is no rush to extract value.
“The forest’s worth does not end with valuable wood,” said Dr. Masiun, rector of the Keling Kumang Institute of Technology, who studied forest valuation during his doctoral research at Tanjungpura University.
“It contains food sources, medicinal plants, fungi, roots, stones, and above all, oxygen. That value is enormous, though rarely calculated.”
Local Knowledge, Global Demand
Internationally, Indonesian agarwood moves through long and complex trade routes. It is exported, often in the form of wood chips, powder, or oil, to markets in the Middle East, East Asia, and Singapore. There it enters supply chains serving perfume houses, incense makers, and luxury consumers.
But distance from the market has insulated Jangkang from the excesses often associated with the agarwood trade elsewhere. For the Dayak communities living here, the forest is not a warehouse. It is a living system. It regulates rainfall, maintains water sources, and sustains daily life.
Jangkang receives rain on nearly 200 days each year. The intact forest canopy plays a critical role in stabilizing the local climate, moderating temperatures, and sustaining rivers and springs. Agarwood, in this context, is one element within a much larger ecological balance.
Sacred Forests and Cultural Boundaries
For generations, Dayak communities have regarded forests as sacred spaces. Stories of forest guardians and unseen inhabitants are not mere folklore. They serve a social function. They remind people that the forest is not to be exploited recklessly. Myth, in this sense, becomes an instrument of conservation.
Knowledge about agarwood is passed down not through manuals or formal training, but through lived experience.
People learn to distinguish species by leaf shape, bark texture, and scent released when wood is cut. They know when to harvest and when to leave a tree untouched.
This ethic stands in contrast to practices in parts of Java and Sumatra, where agarwood has sometimes been harvested aggressively and processed into luxury furniture.
In certain belief systems, agarwood furniture is said to ward off malevolent spirits. In Jangkang, such uses are viewed with caution, if not skepticism.
A Different Measure of Wealth
To the people of Jangkang, agarwood is valuable, but it is not the forest’s defining asset. Water is. Rain is.
Soil stability and clean air matter more than resin-rich wood. The forest is not something to be exhausted in one generation. It is meant to be sustained across many.
As long as the forest stands, they believe, life will continue to flow, quietly and steadily. Much like agarwood itself, it grows unseen: slow, resilient, and faithful to time.
