Shri. Rajesh S. Kallaje, IFS
In-charge Director
Wood is Good. This goodness in wood emanates from its inherent qualities-natural, diverse, renewable and biodegradable. In addition, it locks carbon, demands less energy for its manipulation and is amenable for industrial use. All these qualities make wood one of the finest materials for use in our day to day lives. It is the mandate of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), to promote the use of this wonderful material – ‘wood’.
It was the vision of his Highness, the Maharaja of Mysore, Sri Krishnaraj Wodeyar IV, who was referred to as a ‘Raja Rishi’- a Saint and a King by Mahatma Gandhi, that led to the birth of Forest Research Laboratory (FRL) in 1938. Five decades later, in the year 1988, the FRL was upgraded as IWST under the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education or ICFRE (an autonomous body of MoEF&CC, Govt of India).
The Institute is spread over 25 acres in Malleshwaram and the campus is among the greenest spaces of Bangalore. IWST is dedicated to bring about scientific advancements and technological enhancements in the field of forestry and wood sciences. The Institute is also recognized as a Centre of Excellence for sandalwood research and wood science. I welcome you to the website of the Institute and I hope that you will enjoy exploring the wonderful world of wood and its endless possibilities.
The Institute is lauded for high quality facilities in Testing and Standardization of wood products and composites as recognized by Bureau of Indian Standards. The testing labs in the Institute have NABL accreditation for Testing and Evaluation of Wood Composites in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
The real strength of IWST lies in its strong bondings with the cluster of Panel Industries in the country which are bolstered by periodic IWST-Industry meets in pan-Indian context. This makes the Institute entirely demand driven with sharp focus on the Industry at large.
Needless to say the crux of the technologies developed is sustainable i.e. environmentally benign, cost effective and socially acceptable.
The Government of Mysore had set up a Forest Research Laboratory (FRL) at Bangalore in 1938. In the initial years, work was carried out mainly on properties and uses of different timber species.!
