Gutta percha, the untold story
12 April 10 2018 (Thursday) - The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)’s history is closely linked to a unique tree species called gutta percha or nyatoh taban merah tree which was once very valuable to the British Government. The high demand and extreme exploitation of this tree forced the British Government to initiate forest management and forestry research in British Malaya at the end of the 19th century, which evolved and eventually resulted in the establishment of FRIM in 1985. Leafy shoots of gutta percha. Latex of the species was highly sought-after to be used as the insulating material [...]