Nilambur Teak Museum

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If you are a nature enthusiast who is desperately pouring your head over volumes to get your much-needed information on Teak, the wonder tree, then the world famous Teak Museum at Nilambur is just the perfect place for you to be in.

Some of the special attractions of the museum are a series of interesting paintings portraying tree felling operations, a collection of photographs on the phonological events of teak at different seasons, exhibits on traditional harvesting tools and wood samples of different ages from various parts of the world.

Teak Museum

Nilambur Teak Plantation in 1917Teak Museum is located 4 km from Nilambur, a town in the Malappuram district of Kerala, south India. Teak occurs naturally in India with the main teak forests found in Kerala.

The museum, a two story building, is the world's first teak museum and is operated by the Kerala Forest Research Institute. The exhibits include comprehensive information on aspects of the use of teak in their exhibits and articles on the subject. The museum provides extensive information of value historically, artistically and scientifically.

The museum was established in 1995 on the campus of the centre of Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) because of the historical significance of teak to the area. The world's first teak plantation was planted in Nilambur in the 1840s by the British.

Location

The nearest railway station is in Nilambur, about 3 km from the Teak Museum. The nearest airport is Karipur International Airport, about 36 km from Malappuram.

Cultivation and uses of Teak.

The timber is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture, boat decks, and other articles where weather resistance is desired. It is also used for indoor flooring and as a veneer for indoor furnishings.

Teak is easily worked and has natural oils that make it suitable for use in exposed locations, where it is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish. Teak cut from old trees grown slowly in natural forests is more durable and harder; teak from young trees grown in plantations is more prone to splitting and water damage, however kiln drying allows for sustainable, plantation-grown teak to perform nearly on par with old-growth teak.

Teak is used extensively in India to make doors and window frames, furniture and columns and beams in old type houses. It is very resistant to termite attacks. Mature teak fetches a very good price. It is grown extensively by forest departments of different states in forest areas.

Teak consumption encompasses a different set of environmental concerns, such as the disappearance of rare old-growth teak. However, its popularity has led to growth in sustainable production throughout the seasonally dry tropics in forestry plantations. The Forest Stewardship Council offers certification of sustainably grown and harvested teak products. Experiments are ongoing to achieve vegetative propagation from one year old stem cuttings.

Popular in the 1950s and 1960s in a style often known as Danish modern, teak furniture has had a second boom in popularity. Teak is one of the most sought-after types of vintage furniture.

Leaves of teak wood tree are used in making Pellakai gatti (Jackfruit dumpling) ,where batter is poured in a teak leaf and is steamed.This type of usage is found in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in state of Karnataka in India. Teak is used as a food plant by the larvae of moths of the genus Endoclita including E. aroura, E. chalybeatus, E. damor, E. gmelina, E. malabaricus, E. sericeus and E. signifer and other Lepidoptera including Turnip Moth.

Hyblaea puera, an insect native to southeast Asia, is a teak pest whose caterpillar feeds on teak and other species of trees common in the region.[1]. Much of the world's teak is exported by Indonesia and Myanmar.