The silviculture of dipterocarp trees in Sarawak Malaysia 3: Plantation forest

Tan S.S., . The silviculture of dipterocarp trees in Sarawak Malaysia 3: Plantation forest. pp. 148-161. ISSN 0302-2935

The anticipated depletion of the commercial forests in Malaysia has forced foresters to consider the potential of plantation to maintain levels of wood production. While most of the attention has been directed toward using high-yielding exotics this report examines the previous experience of the Sarawak Forest Department in growing native timber trees in plantations. Ten Engkabang (Shorea species) plantation at Semengoh Forest were established by the Forest Department during the period 1927-1940 to determine the potential for production of wood and illipe nuts. Details of plot establishment and plot maintenance are incomplete. Mean growth rates of the plot varied from 1.22 cm/year for Engkabang jantong (Shorea macrophylla) to 0.80 cm/year for Engkabang langgai bukit (S. pinanga). Growth rates are intermediate for S. splendida S. stenoptera S. palembanica and S. hemsleyana. The fastest-growing trees always grow more than 1 cm/year. Since plots are not replicated site-environment interactions cannot be determined. Growth rates are about two to three times higher than in both primary forest and natural forest given an Improvement Felling treatment. The high stocking of trees on certain plots ( 100 trees/ha) does not appear to affect tree growth rates. After forty to fifty years of growth the basal area stocking in these forests can potentially be 12 - 26 m2/ha which is several times higher than the amount of timber taken out of a primary forest during a commercial logging operation. This study shows that dipterocarp plantations can be successfully established. The economic feasibility of these plantations will depend on the cost of timber as well as the costs of establishing maintaining and harvesting the plantations.

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Abstract

The anticipated depletion of the commercial forests in Malaysia has forced foresters to consider the potential of plantation to maintain levels of wood production. While most of the attention has been directed toward using high-yielding exotics this report examines the previous experience of the Sarawak Forest Department in growing native timber trees in plantations. Ten Engkabang (Shorea species) plantation at Semengoh Forest were established by the Forest Department during the period 1927-1940 to determine the potential for production of wood and illipe nuts. Details of plot establishment and plot maintenance are incomplete. Mean growth rates of the plot varied from 1.22 cm/year for Engkabang jantong (Shorea macrophylla) to 0.80 cm/year for Engkabang langgai bukit (S. pinanga). Growth rates are intermediate for S. splendida S. stenoptera S. palembanica and S. hemsleyana. The fastest-growing trees always grow more than 1 cm/year. Since plots are not replicated site-environment interactions cannot be determined. Growth rates are about two to three times higher than in both primary forest and natural forest given an Improvement Felling treatment. The high stocking of trees on certain plots ( 100 trees/ha) does not appear to affect tree growth rates. After forty to fifty years of growth the basal area stocking in these forests can potentially be 12 - 26 m2/ha which is several times higher than the amount of timber taken out of a primary forest during a commercial logging operation. This study shows that dipterocarp plantations can be successfully established. The economic feasibility of these plantations will depend on the cost of timber as well as the costs of establishing maintaining and harvesting the plantations.

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Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	2 graphs; 4 tables; 18 ref. Summary (En)
AGROVOC Term:	SHOREA
AGROVOC Term:	PLANTACION FORESTAL
AGROVOC Term:	SARAWAK/ INDICE DE CRECIMIENTO
AGROVOC Term:	DIAMETRO
Depositing User:	Ms. Norfaezah Khomsan
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 05:55
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/20145

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