KEY POINTS:
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is looking for New Zealand trees to grow in her country.
Mrs Arroyo visited a Rotorua radiata pine hybrid nursery yesterday and asked if they would grow in the Philippines.
Her country was Asia's largest producer of rainforest timber last century but, in
the past 50 years, two-thirds have been cut down and the country is now grappling with increased flooding, poor water quality and infertile soil.
Grant Hastings, nursery manager of Scion which is a Crown Research institute, said radiata pine did not like tropical areas but similar species could grow in the Philippines.
Mrs Arroyo said eucalyptus trees were already being grown successfully and were renowned for repelling insects.
She also praised a New Zealand project to grow pinus caribaea in her homeland.
"Everyone knows those trees are New Zealand trees," she said.
The project is one of five in which Scion is involved in in the Philippines in partnership with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation.
The others include work on carbon sequestration (removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) and a eucalyptus oil project.
Scion chief executive Tom Richardson said the institute's focus was sustainable forestry, and increasing bio-material and bio-energy capacity.
"We think there's more we can do in partnership with you [the Philippines]," he said.
Forestry generates export earnings of $3.2 billion, $100 million of which comes from the Philippines.
Scion scientist James Carpenter gave an overview of the institute's bio-materials research, which aims to minimise use of high-energy materials and dependence on petroleum-based products.
Mr Carpenter displayed bio-materials made from natural fibres, including New Zealand harakeke (flax).
Bio-plastic plant pots, made without a petroleum base and which degrade naturally if placed in soil, drew interest from the delegation.
Scion's other experimental products include adhesives and coatings derived from bark, a corn product that could be used as insulation and thermo-plastics which could be re-melted for use in drink bottles.
Mr Carpenter said the market for bio-materials was growing rapidly and, in Europe, use of bio-materials in automotive parts had increased five-fold.
Scion concentrated on identifying and extracting chemicals and polymers from plants which could be easily modified for use in industry.
Mrs Arroyo's visit to the institute was marked by a heavy police presence on the roads leading from Rotorua Airport but she was spared the visible protests which she encountered on the other legs of her tour in Wellington and Waitangi.
Mrs Arroyo's Government has been criticised for failing to curb political killings by the Philippines military.
Human rights groups claim that since she came to power in 2001, up to 800 people have been killed or gone missing under mysterious circumstances, many of them left-wing political activists.
