NTT DoCoMo, the giant mobile phone operator in Japan, today announced a green prototype phone called Touch Wood phone, which is made with surplus wood of trees culled during thinning operations to maintain healthy forests. Usually, natural wood casing isn’t suitable for a mobile as they don’t last long. However, because of the special three-dimensional compression molding developed by Olympus Corporation, the Touch Wood wood casing is resistant to water, insects, and mildew.

Each Touch Wood phone features its own distinctive grain patterns and natural coloring. No artificial colors or paints are used, so the cypress retains its original natural appearance and aroma. The wood also has an attractive shine that is created during the compression process.

The Touch Wood is made from the surplus wood of trees culled during forest-thinning operations. This new commercial use for thinned wood, which traditionally has only limited applications, helps to preserve other wood resources while strengthening the health of overgrown forests. So far, Touch Wood production has used wood culled from the Shimanto forest in Japan’s Kochi Prefecture. The forest is managed by the more trees project.

The prototype phone’s graphical user interface (GUI) is based on the photographic art of Mikiya Takimoto, a more trees advocate.

A mockup of the TOUCH WOOD handset will be exhibited at ITU Telecom World 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland from October 5 to 9 and CEATEC JAPAN 2009 at Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, Japan from October 6 to 10.