The genus Agathis consists of about 20 species that occur in Australia, south-east Asia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. This genus of Southern Hemisphere conifers, known collectively as Kauri pines, has the most tropical distribution of all of the conifers. A characteristic of the trees of this genus is to exude copious quantities of resin, either spontaneously or from injuries. The resin accumulates on branches, trunks and at the base of trees (Hora 1981). This resin is known in world trade as manila copal (Whitmore 1980). Other names for this product include copal damar, dammara and kauri gum (Hora 1981). Manila copal is white to yellow to dark brown in colour. It hardens with age and eventually becomes brittle. It is soluble in alcohol to a varying degree, has a melting point between 115 and 135o C and is a complex mixture of mono-, di- and sesquiterpenes