Basic properties and potential uses of 35 wood species from moluccas, Indonesia

Molucca, a region which is located in the eastern part of the Indonesia Region, is a wet tropical forest type. The diversity of tree species in this area is high. Nevertheless, up to now, only a few species, i.e ramin ( Gonystylus bancanus ), have been considered to have high economic value which categorized as fancy wood for the imposition of forestry fees. This paper presents the results of the study of some basic properties and potential uses of 35 wood species growing in Molucca’s forest. The study was carried out by reviewing secondary data collected from related literatures intensively. The results show that of the 35 species, nyatoh putih ( Pouteria duclitan ), sesendok (Endospermum malaccense ), nyaling ( Mastixia trichotoma ), and gopasa ( Pouteria duclitan ) have similar physical and mechanical properties, as well as decorative appearance with ramin wood. Therefore, these 4 species are considered as potential ramin’s substitute. The four species are also proposed to be included in the category of the fancy wood class instead of the ordinary mixed-species group. As a further impact, the imposition of forestry fees for the 4 species needs to be reviewed and readjusted.