BENGALURU: For the first time in the country, a sandalwood museum has been set up in Mysuru by the state forest department. The museum, situated at the sandalwood depot area near the Mysuru forest division office, will showcase 20 different types of sandalwood in the country along with different sandalwood products made by the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd, Karnataka State Arts and Crafts Emporium (Cauvery Emporium) and other private firms.
The highlight of the museum is a 3-D model of a tree trunk. The specimens at the museum contain seized items and those procured from Karnataka’s forests and other parts of the country. A special team has been constituted for round-theclock security. Though the museum opened on December 1, it has not been officially inaugurated yet. “The location of the museum is crucial as Karnataka is known as the sandalwood state,” a forest department official said.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Dr K C Prashanth Kumar told TNIE that the museum was set up to create awareness among people about the tree and species, raise a sense of conservation, ensure proper protection and increase plantation. The museum also has information and research works on sandalwood. The forest department will help people procure sandalwood saplings from its various nurseries. “It took us two months to set up the museum.
It now spreads across a 20 x 10-metre space and is being gradually expanded. The oldest specimen is a 60-yearold tree trunk, while we are searching for more. The Institute of Wood Science and Technology helped us in setting up the museum,” Kumar added. Forest officials said that over the years, the number of sandalwood trees being planted has come down and they aim to increase its cover through the museum.