GUM DAMAR

Common name: Damar, Dammar

Latin name: Shorea spp. (including S.javanica, S.lamellata, S.retinodes,…)

Botanical family: Dipterocarpaceae

Botanical description: hard resin collected by tapping trees from dipterocarp forests From South-East Asia, including Malay & Indonesian archipelagos

Used part of the plant: Solid resin, white to yellow in colour
Origin: Indonesia.
Properties and uses: Damar is a Malay word meaning resin or torch made from resin. It is applied today as a collective term to a wide variety of hard resins. Their main use is in the manufacture of paper or wood varnishes and lacquers, particularly as a varnish for the fine art , and some paints, although consumption  has inevitably declined over the years with the widespread use of synthetic materials. It is a water-resistant coating, sometimes also used for its glazing functionality, and found in the indigenous system of medicine.
Harvesting: active : In Indonesia, by far the largest source of international traded Gum Damar, large triangular cuts in tree-trunks are made when trunk is more than 25cm in diameter (about 20 years old); when older than 25 years, trees can reach 30-40m high. The resin is allowed to dry on the tree before it is collected, cuts are made every week to once a month. Tapping can last for 30 years, and this activity represents a regular source of income to villagers and farmers. Damar trees are playing an important role in agro-forestry technique in combined system including coffee, pepper, clove, or rain-fed rice.

Packing: 50 kg jute bags.

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