A photo comparing American oak, and rubberwood, recently termed ‘Malaysian Oak’ in a marketing brochure, has been released by the American Hardwood Export Council.
The brochure, published under the auspices of the Ministry of Primary Industries, provoked complaints from both American and European oak producers. They said that linking rubberwood, or hevea brasliensis, with real oak caused consumer confusion.
‘With the constant need to develop and upgrade the promotion of wood, it is not helpful to misrepresent species to the consumer,’ said AHEC.
The Malaysian Timber Council in London, said it was reporting oak producers’ concerns to the Timber Committee in Malaysia.
