Red Lauan
Definition
Red Lauan (Shorea negrosensis, recently placed in the genus Rubroshorea) is a large dipterocarp tree endemic to the Philippines, named for the island of Negros where it was first collected. Growing among the tallest forest trees and yielding reddish timber marketed as Philippine mahogany, it was a mainstay of the logging era and is now regarded as at high risk from the loss of old-growth lowland forest.
Identities (Wikipedia/Wikidata/DBpedia)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubroshorea_negrosensis
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132114908
- DBpedia: N/A
Also Known As
Shorea negrosensis; Rubroshorea negrosensis; red lauan group timber.
Examples and Analogies
A mature red lauan crowning the canopy is the forest equivalent of an apartment tower, housing epiphytes, birds, and insects across its many floors. The name “Philippine mahogany” worked like a brand label that bundled several Shorea timbers for export markets.
Usage Scenarios
Its wood has been used in furniture, paneling, construction, and plywood, and the species appears in reforestation research, watershed management plans, and dipterocarp conservation programs.
Strategies
Conservation and production strategies include protected seed trees, nursery propagation for restoration plantings, and reduced-impact logging that retains mother trees. buyers of certified lumber support community-based forest management agreements that regulate harvests.
Security and Safety Measures
National logging moratoria on natural forests and the protected-area system shield remaining stands, while transport permits and timber checkpoints police the trade in lauan lumber.
Historical Context
Red lauan became commercially prominent in the twentieth century as Philippine timber exports boomed, with dipterocarp forests across the Visayas and Mindanao heavily cut. By the late century old-growth stands had contracted drastically, prompting logging bans and restoration programs, and taxonomic work later moved it into the genus Rubroshorea.
Challenges and Controversies
Illegal cutting and land conversion persist despite bans, and debates continue over whether plantation-grown exotic species should substitute for native dipterocarps in reforestation. The reshuffling of Shorea into new genera also unsettles long-familiar timber names.