The Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) has launched a handbook which seeks to inform the public about the properties of selected tree plantation species (TPS), serving as a reference material for their efficient use.

The virtual launch of “Tree Plantation Species (TPS) Handbook” was held on Nov. 25 as part of the DOST’s celebration of the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW), which is anchored on the theme “Agham at Teknolohiya: Tugon sa Hamon ng Panahon”.

“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 such as pulp and paper, veneer and plywood, composite boards, and utility poles,” said DOST-FPRDI Director Dr. Romulo T. Aggangan in his message during the “Gubat Talks: A Virtual Presser and Launch of the BMI Website & TPS Handbook” on Nov. 25.

The authors of the handbook include Aggangan, Drs. Dwight A. Eusebio, Marina A. Alipon, and Forester Felix B. Tamolang.

Eusebio said the handbook provides basic information on the properties of selected TPS and serves as reference material for the efficient utilization of TPS.

“It offers substitutes to other widely and traditionally used wood species,” he said during his presentation.

The handbook presents the properties of seven TPS. These include Malapapaya, River red gum, Timor white gum, Earpod, Lemon scented gum, Large-fruited red mahogany, and Bagras.

Discussed in the handbook are the following basic properties: sawmilling, machining, anatomical, physico-mechanical, chemical, drying characteristics, finishing and coating systems, natural durability and treat ability, and application or utilization.

Aggangan noted that the TPS and bamboo are two substitutes for widely used wood species.

"DOST-FPRDI’s more than three decades of involvement in basic and applied research has generated information on 15 TPS. With this information, DOST-FPRDI hopes to encourage the wood-using industries to establish tree farms and explore the use of products harvested from them,” he said.

“These industries can take advantage of the shorter harvesting time of TPS that can translate into more income.”

He said the DOST-FPRDI has continuously worked towards finding sustainable raw materials as replacement to forest timber, especially since the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) banned the cutting and harvesting of timber in natural and residual forests.

“Conservation has always been at the forefront of the government’s efforts towards protecting what is left of the Philippine forests,” Aggangan said.