The Forestry Bureau has been battling the invasive Leucaena leucaena species on the Hengchun Peninsula for years, and the bureau is constantly seeking diverse disposal channels for the eradicated plants. Hundreds of furniture and cultural and creative products recently on display at the Taipei Design and Building Materials Center were made with Leucaena leucaena, the finalists of the first Leucaena Furniture Design Competition, a collaboration between the Forestry Bureau and the Rotary Club.
Yesterday (15th), Forestry Bureau Director Lin Huaqing said that as countries around the world pursue the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, wood will become an important material. Lin Huaqing explained that in the past, they had tried different ways to use Leucaena leucaena wood and found that furniture design is an effective channel. The Forestry Bureau will continue to improve the applicability of Leucaena leucaena wood.
The "green cancer" tug-of-war spreads over 3,000 hectares on the Hengchun Peninsula.
Listed as one of the world's top 100 invasive alien species, Leucaena leucaena is native to Central America and was introduced to Taiwan about 50 years ago for use in papermaking. Due to its suitable environmental conditions, strong reproductive capacity, large fruit yields, and high seed germination rate, and the fact that its roots secrete the toxic "mimosin," which inhibits the growth of other surrounding plants, it easily forms large areas of pure forest, significantly impacting the ecological environment.
Lin Huaqing, director of the Forestry Bureau, explained that the exclusivity of Leucaena leucaena prevents other plants from growing. Large areas of Leucaena leucaena forests also cause problems such as low biodiversity. The Hengchun Peninsula in Taiwan is the most serious, with an area of more than 3,000 hectares, almost all of which has been occupied by Leucaena leucaena.
The Pingtung Forest District Office of the Forestry Bureau has been implementing a prevention and control program since early 2001, digging or cutting down leucaena within state-owned forests. Lin Huaqing explained that these removed leucaena trees must be disposed of properly, but leucaena is a small-diameter, flimsy wood with limited uses. The Forestry Bureau has experimented with using it as biomass pellet fuel, fertilizer, and as a material for mushroom cultivation, but due to cost-effectiveness considerations, these efforts have proven ineffective.
Wood contributes to net-zero carbon emissions: Forest Service: Enhancing the use of leucaena timber
Last year, the Forestry Bureau collaborated with the Rotary Club to launch a plan to remove and reuse leucaena and restore native plants, and held the first Rotary Cup Leucaena Furniture Design Competition. The competition used leucaena wood removed by the Forestry Bureau as materials, allowing contestants to unleash their design creativity. After judging, 148 pieces of furniture and cultural and creative works were selected to enter the finals. The finalists will be publicly exhibited at the Taipei Design and Building Materials Center.
At the opening ceremony yesterday (15th), Lin Huaqing pointed out that countries around the world are moving towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050. While gradually reducing the use of metal, cement or plastic materials, wood will become an important material. This competition will not only help to eliminate the alien species Leucaena leucaena, but also bring inspiration to a new carbon-neutral life.
Lin Huaqing said that the base in Pingtung is currently under planning to be used for the initial processing of Leucaena leucaena wood, improve the quality of the wood, and drive more Leucaena leucaena removal and reuse operations.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/233378)
