Pacific Southwest

Title: Sandalwood in the Pacific: A state-of-knowledge synthesis and summary from the April 1990 Symposium

Author: 

Date: 1990

Source: In: Hamilton, Lawrence; Conrad, C. Eugene, technical coordinators. Proceedings of the Symposium on Sandalwood in the Pacific; April 9-11,1990; Honolulu, Hawaii. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-122. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 1-11

Station ID: GTR-PSW-122

Description: The economic and cultural values of sandalwood (Santalum spp.) are attributed to the fragrant oil found mainly in the heartwood. Sandalwoods grow naturally in a variety of climates from warm desert in Australia to subtropical regions with almost uniform rainfall in Hawai'i and New Caledonia. Growth habit varies from large shrubs to tall trees. Species that grow in relatively favorable environments appear to readily regenerate naturally. Guidelines for propagation include these: pretreating seed before sowing, treating the potting medium with fungicide, providing primary and secondary host species, and preparing the site before outplanting. Propagation from cuttings generally is not successful; direct sowing or enrichment planting can be used in some cases. All species are fire-sensitive and palatable to livestock. Spike disease afflicts sandalwood in India and Hawai'i, and a moth attacks S. album in Western Australia. Much of the sandalwood harvested is dead wood. Live trees are harvested selectively on the basis of size, which is related to heartwood content. The three major uses for sandalwood are carvings, incense, and oil. About 10 countries produce sandalwood for markets in France, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, and Taiwan. Research is needed to fill gaps in information on various aspects of sandalwood in many of the countries where it grows.

Keywords: 

View and Print this Publication (291 KB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to pubrequest@fs.f ed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

  1990.  Sandalwood in the Pacific: A state-of-knowledge synthesis and summary from the April 1990 Symposium.   In: Hamilton, Lawrence; Conrad, C. Eugene, technical coordinators. Proceedings of the Symposium on Sandalwood in the Pacific; April 9-11,1990; Honolulu, Hawaii. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-122. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. 1-11.