Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (Agathis australis), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, before early settlers caused the forests to retreat, causing several areas to revert to weeds, scrubs, and swamps.[1] Even afterwards, ancient kauri fields and the remaining forests continued to provide a source for the gum.[2][3] Between 1820 and 1900, over 90% of Kauri forests were logged or burnt by Europeans.[4]
Kauri gum forms when resin from kauri trees leaks out through fractures or cracks in the bark, hardening upon exposure to air. Lumps commonly fall to the ground and can be covered with soil and forest litter, eventually fossilising. Other lumps form as branches forked or trees are damaged, releasing the resin.[5]
- ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "How and where kauri grows". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Hayward, pp 4–5
- ^ "Te Ara Encyclopedia of NZ: Kauri Forest". Teara.govt.nz. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "In the forests of New Zealand, indigenous Maori and Western scientists work through past injustices to save a threatened species together". Ensia. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Hayward, p 2