TEAK PLANTATION IN MALAYSIA

TEAK PLANTATIONS in Malaysia in which most of the teak plantations (2,852 ha) can be found in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, especially in Kedah and Perlis. Perlis and being the northern-most state of Peninsular Malaysia located bordering Thailand. This plantation has a similar climate to southern Thailand with a distinct dry period of three months from December to February. Teak plantation (Tectona grandis)  were first introduced in the early 1900s for high-quality timber production. Although not native the report stated it is cultivated for furniture and construction due to its durability and with significant areas also established in Sabah (approx. 6,930 ha by 2006) that have been planted by private owners and the villages. Most of the teak seeds for these plantations were obtained from the teak seed production area located in the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) field station in state of Perlis and from the Forestry Department, Kedah. Teak research in Malaysia was started in the early 1950s by FRIM. This was the result of extensive teak planting in the state of Perlis and Kedah. The main areas of research at the time were nursery techniques, silviculture and management. In the 1980s, a teak improvement programme was started with the establishment of seed stands, plus tree selection (120 plus trees), source bush and clonal seed orchards (1 ha). With regard to silviculture management, techniques have been established and used in planting guidelines, such as: a spacing of 5 m × 4 m; the first commercial thinning at the eighth year; and the final harvesting at the fifteenth year with dbh of 30 cm. On wood product research, the timber has been tested and samples of teak furniture were produced. Malaysia is located north of the equator within latitudes of 1-7° North and longitudes of 100-119° East. The total land area is approximately 32.9 million ha, which includes 13.1 million ha in Peninsular Malaysia, 7.4 million ha in Sabah, and 12.4 million ha in Sarawak. Peninsular Malaysia is 720 km from Sabah and Sarawak, separated by the South China Sea. The country has a coastline of almost 4,830 km. The total forested area in Malaysia is estimated to be 19.05 million ha (including 0.17 million ha of plantation forests), of which 5.89 million ha is in Peninsular Malaysia, 4.50 million ha in Sabah, and 8.66 million ha in Sarawak. Teak is an exotic species to Malaysia and was first introduced from Burma to Peninsular Malaysia in 1915 in Pulau Langkawi, Kedah. Subsequently, teak seeds from India, Thailand and Laos were introduced. In recent years, in addition to the government’s teak plantations, a number of semi-government agencies, private companies and small holders are expressing a very keen interest to plant teak. For me an encouraging feature in teak planting in Malaysia is the involvement of the private sector and small holders. FRIM is promoting a “Teak Planting Adoption Scheme”, under which FRIM will provide planting materials at a nominal cost and free technical advice to farmers who have less then 4 ha of land. The most remarkable concept of planting teak under this scheme is to reduce the rotation period of teak plantations to 15 years with commercial thinning at the eighth year. It is expected that another 5,000 ha of teak plantations will be established in the next five years during 1996-2000. Malaysia hopes that there will be an active exchange of teak research materials and technologies of teak planting and management that could benefit the participating countries. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" blog I share an information about the teak industry in Malaysia.

Reported that '200,000 teak trees dot NSE thanks to 1997 initiative' when PLUS Malaysia Bhd's green initiative of planting almost half a million teak trees along the North-South Expressway (NSE) back in 1997 appears to be bearing fruit. And now, 22 years later, some 200,000 teak trees dot the length of the highway. Between 1997 and 1999, the highway concessionaire planted hundreds of thousands of trees along NSE, especially in the southern part of the peninsula. The company said, was part of its special three-year CSR Greening Project in which teak trees were chosen because of their environmental benefits of producing and releasing more oxygen into the environment (See photo above). Each teak tree, the spokesman said, cost about RM200 to plant but in the interest of public safety, about 10 per cent of the teak trees had since been removed from the highway alignment, which also cost the company. Felling and cutting a teak tree activity costs about RM2,000. The cost excludes transportation and traffic management plan costs. Parts of the felled trees were sold off adding that generally, only teak trees with a diameter of 300mm and above had commercial value. Reported that a metric tonne of teak trees can reach up to RM350 where one metric tonne is about seven teak trees. PLUS said it had no plans to replant them as there were enough teak trees greening its highways. The concessionaire, however, had moved ahead to empower its eco-friendly initiatives. PLUS have a five-year Green Road Map that encompasses the implementation of solar photovoltaic (solar PV) panels and solar-powered charging stations at selected rest areas, to name a few.  PLUS Malaysia Bhd’s green initiative of planting almost half a million teak trees along the North-South Expressway (NSE) back in 1997 appears to be bearing fruit. Reported that in December last year, the PLUS Green Road Map led to the launch of the country's first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station at the Ayer Keroh overhead bridge restaurant (southbound). The road map also involved the transformation of the Machap (northbound) rest and recreation area into the first R&R in Malaysia to use photovoltaic solar system in April this year. PLUS managing director said over the next five years, the company aimed to introduce solar PV panels in other rest areas, such as the Sungai Buloh overhead bridge restaurant, Ayer Keroh overhead bridge restaurant, Dengkil R&R (north and southbound), Gurun R&R (north and southbound), Gunung Semanggol R&R (southbound), Tapah R&R (north and southbound) and Ayer Keroh R&R (northbound). The PLUS headquarters, Persada PLUS, last month bagged the One Diamond award from the Malaysia Sustainable Energy Development Authority's 2018 Low Carbon Buildings Assessment. PLUS is the first highway concessionaire in the country to receive the award. They described it as another milestone for PLUS in its efforts to optimise the use of green technology in preserving the environment for the firm's staff and the surrounding communities.

The report 'Perlis teak initiative blossoms' in which teak trees lining the sides of the trunk roads in Perlis are a source of pride for residents of the state and have also become a tourist attraction. In Perlis any traveller making his way to Perlis on the old trunk roads will find himself entering the amazing world of Malaysia's unique and diverse flora. As one exits the small enclave of Kodiang, Kedah and makes one's way up to Perlis, a hidden tropical gem like no other that entices the senses and leaves you breathless in wondrous delight can be seen. There are lines and lines of trees, towering majestically in full glory, on the right and left of the trunk roads. From afar it looks like a long archway into a magical Elven palace straight from pages of J.R.R. Tolkien's popular books, tucked deep in the enchanted woods and hidden from mortal sight and such glorious beauty brings to mind the words of poet Joyce Kilmer 'A tree looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray' as a poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree'. Many travellers who appreciate nature would stop their cars by the side of the road to admire the verdant view. The trees lining the roads in Perlis are one of the most sought- after species called "jati" or teak. Teak, the tall deciduous tree (Tectona grandis) from the family of Verbenaceae (verbana family), is native to India and Malaysia and is now widely cultivated in many tropical areas.  Teakwood is durable and can be worked on easily, relatively speaking. It is said that good teakwood pieces that are over 1,000 years old are sought after for their high value. Products made of teakwood are regarded as superior, to many other wood products.

Teakwood is usually made into furniture, flooring, and for general construction work and sold as premium price (See photo above) compared to many other types of wood in which teakwood is also highly prized. But what is the reason behind its popularity and high value?. According to Perlis Forestry Department Director AG Shafie AG Ahmadni said the answer lies in the natural oils and rubber found within the teak. There is an abundance of natural oils and rubber locked in the tight grain of the wood where all woods contained oils that protect the tree. Teak, however, can retain these oils and its rubber even after being felled and processed. Because of this, teak has greater natural weather-resistant properties than any other type of wood. The oils and rubber protect the heart of the wood from invaders like fungi and parasites. This is why teak is highly sought-after where teak was first planted in Perlis in 1953 at Mata Ayer forest reserve. Regarded as the pride of Perlis, teak was planted in huge numbers at tree farms across the state before being introduced to more open areas. In the 1990s, the state decided to plant teaks along many of its roads. There are several factors why teak was chosen for this project. The number one reason was to provide shade for drivers. As the northern region can be a hot zone, teak trees provide wonderful natural shade. By mass planting teaks on the roads and in our towns, we can also bring down the temperatures and cool down the surrounding areas. The state's wide open fields also made it prone to crosswinds that could be dangerous to motorists. By planting teak trees along the road, he said the impact of such weather phenomenon could be minimised. The teak trees lining the road also acts as a green wall from crosswinds, providing safety to vehicles on our roads. The teak trees lining the roads also acted as a green belt connecting different enclaves in the state. These teaks absorb all the harmful carbons from the lorries and heavy vehicles using our roads and release oxygen into the air and this goes a long way to keeping the people of Perlis healthy and the teak trees had also become a tourist attraction. The trees are a unique feature to the state and attract nature lovers and visitors who appreciate the greenery. They have contributed positively to tourism in the state and reported that teak trees that have reached a certain maturity also generate income and fuel the state's economy. The mature teak trees were monitored regularly to ensure they did not endanger motorists, especially in severe weather conditions. Old trees can easily uproot and fall on the road in heavy storms and strong weather conditions. This is one of the problems of maintaining teak trees along the road. The department monitors the development of the trees and records when they were planted. Once a tree reaches a certain age, the department will give out tenders to have the trees cut. The cutting and selling of mature teak trees, the department prevented incidents resulting from fallen trees and generated income for the state. One teak tree that we plant costs about RM30 and the cost of cutting and selling a mature tree by tender is roughly about RM125. Perlis previously earned RM400,000 after taxes from the cutting, processing and selling of 3,200 teak trees. Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Senior Agronomist,

Melaka,

Malaysia.

(Febuary 2026).