Agency for Research and Development of Department of Forestry Develops Plywood Made from Oil Palm Tree

Oil Palm Plantation

Research and Development Agency (R&D) of Department of Forestry has developed the use of palm wood stems that no more productive to be made of plywood. The use of palm stem as raw materials for plywood industry has a double advantages, the first is making usefull of waste into a commodity of high economic value. The second, it could be a solution to prevent the continuing degradation of nature, because of the presence of non-forestry raw materials, then logging in natural forests will be reduced.

Development of oil palm plywood is quite promising because the potential of raw materials are quite large, estimated the replanting of 25 million m3/year. Development of oil palm plantations in Indonesia in recent years has increased rapidly. In 1998 oil palm plantation area has reached more than 2.63 million ha, whereas in 2003 oil palm plantation area has reached more than 4.93 million ha. These data indicate that the national oil palm plantation expansion in the period reached more than 400,000 ha per year.

A cooperation has been signed between R&D Agency of Department of Forestry and PT. Inhutani IV Riau by conducting trials using stem oil for veneer and plywood at the PT. Asia Forestama Raya plant, Rumbai, Riau. Such cooperation is a pioneer in the commercialization of palm wood, so that the results obtained will be the basis for policies in preparing procedures for utilizing oil palm wood stems and oil palm industry developing mechanisms. Oil Palm materials used in the tests consisted of two age classes, palm trees aged 22 and 25 years, with timber volume each 60m3 and 40 m3. Both groups of these plants originated from PTP. Nusantara V plantations, Riau.

Some note of the trial results trials are:

• Palm trunk can be used for the manufacture of plywood panels using conventional facilities contained in the plywood industry.
• Experimental production of wood veneer to produce wet and dry veneer yield, respectively by 67% and 36%.
• Treat compaction (densification) on the structure of wood veneer to reduce the volume of palm timber by 50%.
• Veneer and plywood panels from oil palm stems yield is lower than the yield of wood production from plantation forests and wood from public forests.
• Increased efficiency and productivity in the manufacture of veneer and plywood panels from palm can be done through several modifications to the machinery and production equipment.
• Palm plywood products have a relatively good economic value compared to similar products made from timber of forest plantations.
• Production of veneer and plywood from commercial palm plantations need to involve the party as the owner of the raw materials. This needs to be considered in order to obtain the certainty of supply of raw materials, avoiding third-party interference, and minimizing the cost of materials.

For further information, please contact Masyhud, Head of Information Centre, Ministry of Forestry 

Jakarta, 12 / 6 (AFP) 

Source: antaranews.com

Translated by: HarryS