A review of dipterocarps - Center for International Forestry Research
A review of dipterocarps - Center for International Forestry Research
A review of dipterocarps - Center for International Forestry Research
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Non-Timber Forest Products<br />
from Dipterocarps<br />
M.P. Shiva and I. Jantan<br />
Introduction<br />
In the last half <strong>of</strong> the twentieth century timber has become<br />
the most important economic product from <strong>dipterocarps</strong>,<br />
but it does not have much impact on rural communities.<br />
Instead, the non-timber <strong>for</strong>est products (NTFPs) from<br />
<strong>dipterocarps</strong> such as nuts, dammar, resin and camphor,<br />
have a larger impact on the economies <strong>of</strong> the rural people<br />
and <strong>for</strong>est dwellers. In the past several decades synthetic<br />
materials have diminished the value <strong>of</strong> some dipterocarp<br />
NTFPs but at the same time others are beginning to gain<br />
value. As a result researchers have paid little attention to<br />
NTFPs and there is little detailed in<strong>for</strong>mation on them.<br />
Their value to rural communities would have been better<br />
appreciated and critical in balancing the <strong>for</strong>ces favouring<br />
logging against other socio-economic benefits. The<br />
advantages <strong>of</strong> managing NTFPs, previously known as<br />
minor <strong>for</strong>est products, are <strong>of</strong>ten ignored. Unlike timber,<br />
they are available at more frequent intervals and their<br />
harvesting is usually less destructive to the tree. Their<br />
value can be high, and as in some cases described here,<br />
may even pay towards the establishment <strong>of</strong> plantations<br />
<strong>for</strong> their production. In this chapter, the various NTFPs<br />
from <strong>dipterocarps</strong> are described, and wherever possible<br />
additional in<strong>for</strong>mation on the methods <strong>of</strong> extraction,<br />
their industrial application and economic value is given.<br />
Ancient Records <strong>of</strong> Dipterocarps<br />
Perhaps the oldest written records <strong>of</strong> <strong>dipterocarps</strong> come<br />
from India; records <strong>of</strong> utilisation <strong>of</strong> dipterocarp timber<br />
and other products exist there since ancient times. The<br />
birth place <strong>of</strong> Buddha was Lumbini, situated on the bank<br />
<strong>of</strong> the River Rohini where there were groves <strong>of</strong> Shorea<br />
robusta (sal), called ‘Mangala Salvana’. Sukraniti and<br />
Kautilya have regarded sal amongst the strongest timber<br />
Chapter 10<br />
yielding trees <strong>of</strong> the <strong>for</strong>est. Plant remains excavated from<br />
Pataliputra show that sal was used <strong>for</strong> a wooden palisade<br />
made 2000 years ago. In Southeast Asia there is a long<br />
tradition <strong>of</strong> the use <strong>of</strong> NTFPs from <strong>dipterocarps</strong>. Their<br />
trade was extensive, and from the 1st century A.D.<br />
Chinese and Indian traders regularly visited the Southeast<br />
Asian ports <strong>for</strong> these products. Marco Polo’s chronicles<br />
<strong>of</strong> 1299 mention the trade <strong>of</strong> camphor (from<br />
Dryobalanops aromatica) by Arabs since the 6th<br />
century.<br />
NTFPs From Dipterocarps<br />
Much <strong>of</strong> the knowledge on the use <strong>of</strong> dipterocarp NTFPs<br />
is concentrated in two main regions, South Asia and<br />
Southeast Asia (mainly Indonesia, Malaysia, and the<br />
Philippines). In both regions, the dipterocarp products<br />
are essentially the same and four broad classes are<br />
predominant, viz., resins, dammar, camphor and butter<br />
fat. Besides these principal products, other plant parts,<br />
such as leaves and bark, are used to derive certain<br />
products. In both regions the extraction methods are<br />
common, however, the specific species yielding these<br />
products vary. Despite their importance, they have not<br />
been systematically exploited and have remained<br />
undervalued.<br />
Resins<br />
The <strong>dipterocarps</strong> are an important source <strong>of</strong> resins. The<br />
resin is secreted in cavities, and normally oozes out<br />
through the bark. The resins are <strong>of</strong> two kinds. The first is<br />
a liquid resin which contains resinous material and<br />
essential oils (oleoresins), remains liquid in nature and<br />
has a distinct aroma. It is <strong>of</strong>ten referred to as oleoresin<br />
in literature. Commercial production is <strong>of</strong>ten through<br />
artificial wounding. The second is the hard resin which