A resin obtained from the tree is used as a food additive[418 ].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

Agroforestry Uses: The roots are well fortified by typical mycorrhizal association, which enables them to absorb and accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium more rapidly and for longer periods than non-mycorrhizal roots[303 ]. This species is a good example for the tree component in an agroforestry system for resin production. Other useful trees, such as clove, are simultaneously planted with the dammar trees so that although the latter largely dominate, the resulting stand is multilayered, comprising different useful plants such as fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants[303 ]. Along the southern coast of Sumatra, agroforests, called kebun dammar, or dammar forest gardens, are established at the end of the cycle of shifting cultivation, or when there is a sufficiently large opening in the forest canopy. The cycle normally begins with a crop of upland rice followed by coffee or pepper, and in three to seven years dammar seedlings are added to the upland field. As the dammar grows, it contributes to a microclimate suitable for coffee production; then, fifteen years after planting, dammar overtakes coffee, pepper, and other fruiting trees[325 ]. The dammar trees begin producing after twenty years, yielding resin for about 30 years before dying sometime between 50 and 60 years of age. Compared to other agroforestry systems, the dammar gardens support a high degree of biological diversity[325 ]. Other Uses The bark yields an unusually clear, pale yellow dammar (resin). The resin is harvested from cuts made on the trunk[303 ]. The resin was formerly used by local people for torches, for caulking boats and handicrafts, and more recently local traders export it to industrial countries, where it is used principally in paints, varnishes and linoleum industries[303 ]. It is also used in cosmetics, as a food additive and for medication. Harvesting of the resin commences when the bole is around 25cm in diameter (approx 20 years old). Triangular cuts (becoming circular with age) are arranged in vertical rows around the trunk. The cuts are several centimetres wide at first, but become enlarged at every tapping and eventually become holes of 15 - 20cm in depth and width. The average number of holes for a tree about 30 metres tall and 60 - 80cm in diameter is 9 - 11 in each of 4 - 5 vertical rows. For the higher holes, the tapper climbs the tree supported by a rattan belt and using the lower holes as footholds. The exuded resin is allowed to dry on the tree before it is collected. The frequency with which the tree is visited to refreshen the cut varies from once a week to once a month, depending on how far the tree is from the village. Tapping can continue for 30 years[891 ]. The heartwood is yellowish-white and when freshly cut is indistinct from the sapwood, but it gradually becomes yellowish-brown or light brown, and on exposure is slightly more distinct from the sapwood[303 ]. The grain is usually interlocked, and the texture moderately coarse but even[303 ]. The planed surface is lustrous, often with subtle ribbon figures[303 ]. The wood is not very durable and should therefore be kept away from contact with the ground unless it is treated[303 ]. Because of its high silica content, the wood is not popular as a sawn timber, but it has been used for a wide variety of purposes, such as door and window frames, posts, beams, joists, rafters, planking, light flooring, ceiling, furniture, interior and shop fitting, vehicle bodies, sports goods, vats, wine casks, food containers, stair stringers, and ship and boat building[303 ]. The creamy white and uniform colour, the even texture and the good gluing properties make S. Javanica a highly preferred timber for plywood production, which is its most important use[303 , 325 ]. The wood is satisfactorily used for pulp in the manufacture of paper[303 ]. The lower part of the trunk is scarified from tapping for resin and hence can be used only for firewood[303 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming