Damar

Damar is the local name for the resin produced by several genera (e.g. Dipterocarpus, Shorea) of Dipterocarp trees in Southeast Asia.  The dried resin (shown above) is a valuable source of varnish and caulking, and it is exploited commercially by numerous communities in Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.

Damar is tapped by climbing the tree and cutting small pyramidal holes or "boxes" (indicated by the white circle above) at various heights along the trunk.  In response to wounding, the tree starts to exude resin which collects in the bottom of the boxes.  The damar is scraped out with a parang.  The flow of damar usually stops after a couple of days because the resin ducts have become clogged with dried resin. To start the flow again, the old resin is melted away by building a small fire in each box.  This method of tapping, not surprisingly, is known as "boxing and firing". [NOTE: The collector is about 10 - 12 m up the tree on a wobbly, disposable ladder made from bamboo].