A simple white cap and rubber boots are everyday sights at the plant restoration nursery in Pematang Limau Village. They are the trademark of Mbah Trisno, who is in charge of monitoring the progress of the nursery on a daily basis.

Although born in Nganjuk, East Java, in 1951, Pematang Limau has been his home for over 44 years. His journey began in 1970, from Central Java to Aceh, to participate in government programs. Ever since – following the dynamic economic flow of the era – Mbah Trisno has made the choice to live far from his homeland.

Although Mbah Trisno is fully occupied selling chips, peyek, and butterfly pea flower tea to his many loyal customers, he can still make time for ecosystem restoration activities in Pematang Limau Village. His occupation, which is quite the opposite, does not prevent him from joining the restoration team.

However, his previous experience as a patchouli farmer years ago can be applied to the nursery process. So far, many restoration plant seeds have been collected, namely 500 Langiran seedlings, 500 Galam seedlings, 1,500 Albasia seedlings, 625 Pinang seedlings, 625 Petai seedlings, and 600 fruit seedlings.

A rooster crowing accompanied our conversation with Mbah Trisno that morning. With a friendly smile, he said he had joined the restoration team on November 2, 2022. In addition, although he is no longer young, he still contributes to society by being a Tanggul Harapan Forest Farmers Group chairperson. Not only has Mbah Trisno mastered the nursery procedure, he also has in-depth understanding of ecosystem restoration as a whole.

"The soil conditions here are fertile and do not contain peat, so they are only slightly acidic for the mineral soil category," said Mbah Trisno. With the addition of specific doses of dolomite, the soil's acidity level can be addressed, and the soil can be replanted after moss growth. Mbah Trisno understands very well that moss growth is one of the indicators of soil fertility.

Despite his experience, the nursery restoration process is not without its obstacles. "It is challenging to find seedlings for certain plants such as Laban and Resak. If seedlings have been obtained, they die as soon as we replant them," Mbah Trisno added.

Another obstacle is in training the community in the nursery process. "Maybe we have failed three times. Fortunately, progress started to be visible in the fourth trial," he admitted. Even so, he remained enthusiastic about going through the process. "From the outcomes of this ecosystem restoration, when I am no longer here, at least I can leave a legacy that the community can remember," he added.

With an optimistic outlook, Mbah Trisno said he wanted to witness and benefit from this ecosystem restoration activity. "My favorite fruits are Petai and Durian. We can pick and eat them directly for free. If we buy them, the price is quite expensive," he said, laughing. He envisions that there will be various lush trees, and the locals will farm a variety of crops.

The village will also become more sustainable. "Hopefully, this restoration activity can benefit the village community and improve their standard of living to make it more feasible, because the community can do intercropping farming after this restoration activity," said Mbah Trisno, full of hope for the future.