The Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) will launch next week the Bamboo Musical Instruments (BMI) website, and the “Tree Plantation Species (TPS) Handbook” as part of the agency’s celebration of the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW).
The virtual launch is set on Nov. 25.
The DOST-FPRDI said the BMI website will serve as a repository of BMI photos and videos; documented indigenous groups and commercial makers; bamboo species used; BMI processing technologies and value chain, among others.
“The website hopes to promote BMI use and production in the country, as well as aid in teaching the instruments to K-12 students,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the TPS Handbook “details the properties and utilization of select species, which can benefit businesses venturing into furniture production, housing and construction, and other industrial uses." These include pulp and paper, veneer and plywood, composite boards, and utility poles.
The Institute will also hold a virtual presser anchored on the theme “Gubat Talks”.
“The event offers information on raw materials that can substitute for traditionally used wood such as TPS and bamboo.”
It noted that in 2011, Executive Order No. 23 was issued declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timbre in the natural and residual forests. The EO created the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force, chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).