Summary
Kapur (or kapor) is a dipterocarp hardwood from trees of the genus Dryobalanops found in lowland tropical rainforests of Malaysia, Indonesia and South-East Asia.[1] It is a durable construction tropical timber. One variety, D. aromatica, is a source of camphor.
Species edit
The name kapur can refer to the following species from the Dryobalanops genus:[citation needed]
Deforestation edit
Kapur is logged from old-growth forest, often illegally. These forests have developed over the course of hundreds of years. When harvested, these trees are often between 250 and 1000 years old.[2] For a tree from the family Dipterocarpaceae, it takes approximately 100 years to reach a height of 30 meters.[3] Most of the species that are sold as kapur are listed on the IUCN Red List for endangered species. For example, D. fusca is critically endangered.[4]
Overexploitation has led to large scale deforestation in the tropics. The International Tropical Timber Organization is concerned with conserving the habitat of trees producing tropical timber.[citation needed]
According to FSC, certified tropical hardwood can counteract deforestation. Forests that are managed according to the FSC standards, become economically valuable and might therefore not be converted to farmland.[5] However, other organisations advise consumers to stay away from kapur altogether to avoid logging of centuries-old trees.[6][7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Kapur Archived 2010-10-23 at the Wayback Machine at Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
- ^ "Rainforest Relief".
- ^ "Rainforest Journal".
- ^ "Search for Dryobalanops". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ^ "Together We Are FSC | Tropical timber, part of the solution". marketingtoolkit.fsc.org. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Rainforest Relief - Kapur".
- ^ "Wet Tropics - Good Wood Guide" (PDF).
External links edit
- Technical properties of kapur