Transforming forest education to meet the changing demands for professionals

The traditional forestry practice is under increasing pressure to transform, driven primarily by a shifting public perception of sustainability, and developments in science, communications, and global markets. In this context, the existing forestry education model is poorly equipped to cope with changes sweeping through the forestry sector that are linked to digitisation and rapid development in the information technology sectors. In preparing professionals for forestry practice today, notable discrepancies between what potential employers want and what the forestry institutions provide are apparent. In response, when hiring graduates of professional forestry programmes, forestry employers have changed the skill set and competencies sought. A similar scenario is also observed in South-East Asia, which despite its abundant forest resources and robust forest industries, is also experiencing dwindling interest among young people and falling enrollment rates in its forestry education institutes. Prevailing financial constraints and political pressures on higher education make it difficult for educators to close the gap between forestry education and forest practice. Nevertheless, a concerted effort from all stakeholders in revising the existing forestry education model to incorporate new courses and skills that will better prepare future foresters, appears to be the way forward

A comparison of abrasive sanding dust emission characteristics of oil palm wood and rubberwood

With the increasing interest in using oil palm wood (OPW) in the manufacture of value-added wood products in the South East Asian region, the subject of dust emission in relation to the variable density of OPW is a matter of concern. Therefore, this study evaluated the dust emission characteristics of untreated and phenol-formaldehyde-treated OPW during the abrasive sanding process. Rubberwood was the solid wood material used in this study for comparison purposes. The abrasive sanding process was carried out using an orbital sander with aluminium oxide abrasive paper with a grit size of 150. The sample boards were weighed before and after sanding to determine the amount of stock removed. The dust concentration and dust particles diameter was influenced by the material type, material density variation, and material hardness. The study revealed that both untreated and treated OPW produced higher dust concentration and higher proportions of fine respirable dust particles compared with rubberwood during the abrasive sanding processes, and therefore, it is important for a more stringent permissible exposure level (PEL) standard for dust emission to be established for OPW processing. In this context, the existing PEL of 5 mg/m3 of dust is inappropriate and needs a revision if OPW is to be successfully used in the value-added wood products industry

Consumer Preferences for Veneer in Wood Products in Malaysia.

This study provides an insight into preferences for wood veneer among value-added wood product manufacturers and gives useful insights into the relevant marketing strategies for future product development

Preference of using wood and wood products in the construction industry in Peninsular Malaysia

The objective of this study was to determine the preferences of architects for wood and wood products for specific applications and to assess the attributes that influenced its utilization in the construction sector in Peninsular Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 500 practicing architects throughout Peninsular Malaysia, with a response of 27%. The application of wood and wood products by architects was focused primarily on non-structural applications rather than structural applications. It was found that cost, customer demand, durability, natural beauty, availability, ease of design, and workability were primary considerations for architects in specifying wood and wood products in building construction. A factor analysis of the results showed that building regulations, material quality and beauty, customer demand, and design and assembly were the primary determinants that influence architects specifying and using wood and wood products in building construction. It was apparent that the use of wood and wood products in building construction in Peninsular Malaysia has the potential to be further increased through advertising and marketing in the material among the general public, as well as architects and specifiers

Digital marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of its adoption by furniture manufacturers in Malaysia

Contemporary furniture marketing platforms that are based on furniture exhibitions, retail malls, and galleries were severely disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the extent to which digital marketing tools were adopted by furniture manufacturers in Malaysia. The effectiveness of digital marketing tools was assessed as an alternative furniture marketing medium by means of a questionnaire distributed to various furniture suppliers. The results of the questionnaire indicated that the onset on the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital marketing among furniture manufacturers of all sizes. Larger manufacturers had the financial means to make greater investments into digital marketing to utilize it compared to the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Digital marketing by website, email, and social media were the most common mediums used by furniture manufacturers. As for social media applications, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were the common platforms used by furniture manufacturers. Although some furniture manufacturers were familiar with digital marketing, many were not using it effectively due to a lack of skilled workers with the ability to manage such digital marketing tools. Limited financial capital, especially among the SMEs, also made it difficult to enable the adoption of digital marketing

Innovation in the Malaysian furniture industry: drivers and challenges

The Malaysian furniture industry is the country’s fastest growing sub-sector within the wood-based industry, and its socio-economic importance cannot be taken lightly. The industry is driven primarily by comparative advantages derived from low cost factor inputs, which has eroded in recent years due to escalating production cost. Further, the increasing competition from other cheaper producing nations, particularly China and Vietnam, is also putting a damper on the future competitiveness of the industry in Malaysia. To remain competitive, the Malaysian furniture industry must transform and advance the value-chain through innovation and value-addition. Although the government has played a pivotal role in providing a broad policy framework to support value-adding and innovative activities, success has been limited. This study evaluated the extent of innovation and its sources in the Malaysian furniture industry through an internet-based survey. The results indicated that external sources of innovation were more important than internal sources. The factor analysis showed that external inputs, market demand, and in-house research and development were the most important drivers of the innovation in the Malaysian furniture industry. Therefore, the furniture industry in Malaysia will require policy support to enhance its inherent capability for innovation in the long-term

Perceptions by Smallholder Farmers of Forest Plantations in Malaysia

Plantation forests are perceived to be the supplementary source of wood material for the large wood products industry in Malaysia, amidst the steadily reducing supply from her natural forests. Despite the government’s initiated plantation forests scheme, the participation of smallholder farmers has been limited. Smallholder farmers constitute the largest proportion of private farmers involved in all sectors of agricultural and plantation tree crop cultivation, including commodities such as rubber and palm oil. Therefore, this study examines the lack of interest among smallholder farmers to participate in establishing forest plantations, although they have a strong presence in the palm oil and rubber sectors. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted among 12,895 smallholder farmers currently involved in palm oil, rubber and other tree-crop cultivation. The study found that this group has little knowledge and awareness of the forest plantation scheme available, and there is a prevailing perception that the establishment of forest plantations is not environment-friendly and leads to biodiversity loss. The poor economic return, small land holding, and poorly structured market and supply chain are perceived as the significant constraints faced that limit the interest among the target groups to participate in this sector. Any effort to reverse this trend and garner higher interest from the target group will necessarily require a new policy framework that boosts the economic outlook of forest plantations among smallholder farmers

Digital technology application among Malaysian value-added wood products manufacturers

The application of digital technologies (DT) has been on the increase within the manufacturing industries since a decade ago. It has been widely suggested that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of DT in manufacturing industries worldwide, as countries have tried to contain and mitigate the spread of infection through lockdowns and stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs). Hence, a study was undertaken to evaluate this trend in the Malaysian wood products industry, and to identify the key DT used. A questionnaire-based survey was implemented and targeted at the furniture, moldings, and builder’s joinery and carpentry sub-sectors, with the assistance of the relevant trade associations. A total of 477 responses were obtained, and it was found that digital technologies, such as computer aided design (CAD), computer numerical control (CNC), digital communication, digital marketing, and enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems, were highly adopted, but they did not significantly differ in terms of company size or product type. However, the rate of adoption was not uniform, as 5% of the respondent companies did not adopt any digital technologies. The study revealed that wood products companies adopted digital technologies that boosted their production and marketing, while those with limited DT adoption were more severely impacted during the pandemic

Effectiveness of online teaching and learning of wood science and technology courses during the COVID-19 pandemic: early evidences from a survey of Malaysian Universities

Wood Science and Technology (WST) courses have been traditionally taught face-to-face in most of the universities worldwide, but the global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted classroom lessons, replacing them with online teaching and learning methods. To assess the effectiveness of these online methods, a survey of students and academics were carried out in several Malaysian universities offering the WST programs. The survey revealed that students were mostly challenged by the problems related to access to internet, computer hardware, and lack of communication. Further, the student-centered learning method was preferred, while non-technical courses were the most suited for online teaching and learning. In contrast, academics appear to prefer pre-recorded lectures and recorded videos as the most common method for teaching online, while continuous assessment of the student’s progress found limited application. The results found that to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning online of WST courses, factors such as connectivity, student’s preparedness, content design, pedagogical approach, peer communication, and the teacher’s presence, must be taken into consideration and improved

The prospects of wooden building construction in Malaysia: Current state of affairs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent to which the practicing architects in Malaysia were familiar with timber products as a construction material. The materials consumption data was extracted from the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) database and was used to conduct a survey among 189 respondent architects. The results indicated that the architects were familiar with common timber products such as plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, and laminated veneer lumber. Correlation analysis of awareness and knowledge against the rate of utilization of these timber products was significant. Furthermore, the most important deterrent factors for the use of timber products in building construction in Malaysia were the high cost, poor durability, restrictive building codes and by-laws, as well as the low fire resistance. More aggressive promotion of timber products as a potential construction material is advisable to be undertaken when the goal is to boost the material’s use in the construction industry. Policy makers may also consider providing financial incentives to increase timber products utilization in building construction in Malaysia