July-august, 2020 | @Forest
cover story
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of lumber.
“We hope to provide an alternative wood to the eco-wood
from planted forest trees. Thus, the industry does not need
to chop down the native forest.”
Law also added research was being done continuously
on the trees to identify their potential application.
“We should add value to our wood by knowing its features
and so we are using scientific methods.
“We don’t want to be just exporters of raw materials.
Thus, by learning more of the wood features, it gives us
a value proposition and green concept, whereby we can
identify and make full use of the tree, including the waste,
for different and niche applications.
“For example, I was recently approached to have our
tree branches supplied for making wood shavings and
pellets for pet bedding, which is a niche application of the
wood.”
Among other applications of Paulownia are for construction
as well as manufacturing furniture, plywood, musical
instruments and even filtration materials.
Beyond yielding alternative and multipurpose timber
solutions, Paulownia trees can absorb carbon dioxide,
providing carbon sequestration.
“If the plantation is sizeable, we can quantify the carbon
dioxide absorption and carbon sequestration rate. Our
plantation size is not there yet, but eventually, we can do
that.”
Gain Green is also putting idle land to good use with
its Project Malaysia Menanam. The project encourages
interested parties to develop and cultivate empty and
wasteland through sustainable agriculture and thus earn
an extra source of income.
Green initiatives
Law believes tree-planting programmes should be a public
initiative.
He urged: “Everybody should plant trees. We want
to create awareness, and so we work closely with local
schools that want to have tree-planting programmes.
“We either donate trees to them, or they buy seedlings
from us. We also help them to manage their small plot of
herb corner.”
He hoped this would create awareness among the
younger generation so that they would take care of the
environment. In addition to schools, Gain Green also
donates trees to temples and churches which want to green
their extra land.
“We are also looking forward to work with the Malaysian
Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (MGTC).
One of the pillars under their green initiative focusses on
supporting tree-planting programmes.
“We told them we could explore and look for empty
pockets of land in the country on which Gain Green can
work with MGTC to plant trees.” — @Forest
cash crops.
Through the Project Malaysia Menanam,
Gain Green is also encouraging intercrop
farming as an income supplement while
waiting to harvest the Paulownia trees.
Intercrop farming includes a wide variety
of integrated cash crops such as pineapple,
banana, eggplant and so on. The revenue
gained from intercropping will be distributed
to shareholders.
“This will also encourage the villagers to
venture into agroforestry projects, where
it also helps the food chain supply in the
country while improving their income.”
Law added Gain Green was trying to
initiate the agroforestry programme to the
government and State agencies.
“We hope they will join in the initiative by
No wASTAGE:
Wooden pellet for pet
bedding are made from
wood shavings
We don’t want
to be just
exporters of
raw materials.
Thus, by
learning more
of the wood
features, it
gives us a value
proposition and
green concept,
whereby we
can identify
and make
full use of the
tree, including
the waste,
for different
and niche
applications.”
offering some idle lands to be sub-plotted
to qualified candidates or applicants such
as those from the B40 group, retirees and
anyone fit enough to do agroforestry work.
“Planting wood trees should be
considered a potential new plantation option
for those in the plantation business since
wood trees have a high value due to the
multipurpose wood applications.”
Law also pointed out Malaysia had
excellent transportation logistics compared
to neighbouring countries, which is useful
for shifting and moving logs in mass
quantity.
“Not to mention that tree plantations will
bring the country new sources of support
industries such as wood-processing and
furniture-making,” he said.— @Forest
The shortfall of
wood supply for
wood products
industry
BY PROF DR JEGATHESWARAN RATNASINGAM
The Malaysian wood industry flourished since the early
80s when there was ample supply of material and labour
force.
However, with Malaysia embracing the Sustainable Forest
Management (SFM) practices in the early 90s, the wood
supply harvested from the natural forest decreased steadily.
We used to harvest up to about 10-12 million m 3 a year,
and in the recent years, we have harvested less than 4 million
m 3 .
This means there is a massive shortfall of raw material to
sustain industrial needs and the wood industry is looking at
a deficit estimated at 1.5 million m 3 per annum.
The reduced rubber tree cultivation in the country has
also affected the supply of rubberwood, the primary raw
material for the furniture sector. To grow rubber trees as
a source of wood is also not viable given the long gestation
period and low price of the logs at the field.
The furniture industry, which needs close to about 950
000 m 3 of sawn wood on an annual basis, has a shortfall of
about 400,000 m 3 .
The Malaysian government pushed for forest plantation
as a means to overcome the shortfall in the supply of the raw
material, especially of those from natural forests.
Forest plantation is relatively a new concept in this country,
and it involves a long gestation period, for about 15 to
20 years, for the trees to mature. It thus became an uphill
battle to encourage the private sector to invest in long-term
forest plantation programs with less than desirable returns.
For a sustainable supply of wood resources, there is a
need for alternative new species, which exhibits good wood
characteristics and woodworking properties, with ample
supply.
Research and technical support from organisations and
agencies like the Faculty of Forestry & Environment in
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the Forest Department of
Peninsular Malaysia, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia
and a few others, play an essential role in identifying and
testing the properties and characteristics of suitable alternative
species for forest plantations and applications in the
wood industry.
It is also essential that any species promoted as an alternative
raw material must have a sizeable plantation area
for cultivation and that the trees are ready to be harvested.
When the industry decides on the particular species,
within a few months, the demand for wood material volume
of that particular species can increase rapidly, of up to half
a million m 3 .
Revotropix Paulownia, which has been developed, introduced
and promoted by Green Afforestation International
Network Sdn Bhd (Gain Green) is an example of an alternative
species.
Research conducted by the Faculty of Forestry in UPM on
the Revotropix Paulownia wood as a raw material, showed
promising results. It has been found to have comparable
properties with Southern Yellow Poplar and Chinese Poplar.
It is an excellent effort in the right direction by Gain Green.
Forest plantation will become the norm in the future and
is here to stay as the world will become increasingly dependent
on sustainable wood resources from forest plantations
for its wood materials’ need. — @green
Prof Jegatheswaran is with the Faculty of Forestry & Environment,
Universiti Putra Malaysia