THE municipal government of Los Banos, Laguna has recognized as a “cultural treasure” the Xylarium collection of the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI), an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). ’s (DOST-FPRDI) Xylarium collection as a cultural treasure.
The local government unit, in a resolution, acknowledged the collection for its “invaluable contribution to science, heritage, and environmental conservation.”
“This recognition strengthens the value of DOST-FPRDI’s wood specimens and also highlights the Filipino spirit of innovation and care for the environment. By safeguarding this collection, we are protecting the foundation for discoveries that can help shape Philippine forestry,” DOST Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr. said.
The Xylarium or “Wood Library” houses thousands of wood specimens representing about 98% of known Philippine tree species, including some that are now extinct and others collected as early as the 1900s.
