NatureBase

Date: 1997 25 07

About Lauan Plywood, seen from an Ecological standpoint:


Question: I have a question which needs an answer: Do you think is it OK, seen from ecological and sociopolitical standpoints, OK to use lauan plywood as a building material?

Does the rain forest get destroyed by the use of the tropic tree species which are involved?

That is what I have found out from the internet - a tree species from south east Asia is involved: lat. Shorea spp. Sometimes called Keruing. Lauan seems to be associated to dipterocarp forest. Could you help me or do you have any suggestions about whome I could turn to?

I´m thankful for all the help I can get.

Fredrik Sundström

Questioner: fredrik.sundstrom@hadar.ideon.se

Answer: Lauan is the Philippean name for Dipterocarps of the race Shorea, what is what I know for sure, and the section Rubroshorea. Other common names for this plywood is Red Meranti and Red Seraya. The family of Dipterocarpus is called in the phillipean apitong, another usuall name for the plywood market is keruing. Red Meranti and Dipterocarpus are quite different in wood quality, Dipterocarpus are sinking timber, which is not the case with Red Meranti.

Red Meranti are usally more expensive than Keruing. They are both from the rainforest, these plants are unusual. The most usally way to chop and pick in the Philippines and in the rest of south east Asia is chop and pick that is to take only the biggest tree´s. And as it is only big tree´s which are taken, the damages are inevitable. Ethical matters are difficult to answer, if you should answer for someone else than your self. If you want to know more, then you have to have more information.

Best Regards Jonas Cedergren


This text has been translated from Swedish to English by: Helene Nordbäck and Sebastian Ramirez in the Ecologic workshop, Standard 9, in Broskolan.

We think that this text showes that tropical rainforest tree´s are a part of the Lauan plywood which is sold all over the world.

This cannot be good for the future of the rainforests !! We thought that governments and companies have lately been taking better steps for the rain forests...

Helene Nordbäck and Sebastian Ramirez, the Ecologic Workshop


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