New e-Tree app enables online registration for trade in teak, rosewood trees grown on private land

By The Nation

 

 

Forbidden trees like teak and rosewood grown on private plots can now be registered online for trade purposes, thanks to a new application that became available to the public on Monday.
 

The Royal Forestry Department (RFD) has introduced the e-Tree app, which will allow owners of trees once prohibited for trading under dated forest law to register trees grown on their land, so that they can put them on sale from now on.

 

Trees such as teak and rosewood, among several others, were previously prohibited from being felled and traded in any circumstances without permission from the department, in order to prevent the “laundering” of trees that grow naturally in state forests. 

 

However, the process was criticised for being too complicated and out of date, thus impeding the development of timber management around the country.

The aged law was therefore amended under the military-led government as part of timber supply-chain reform. 

 

Thailand has been looking to such reform in the hope that it could help improve the whole timber management system to a higher standard, and especially in line with international standards, including the European Union-introduced FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade) framework.

 

The Kingdom is currently in negotiations about joining the FLEGT framework.

 

The law revision was published in the Royal Gazette on April 16, resulting in the amendment coming into effect.

 

RFD chief Athapol Charoenshunsa said the new app would benefit tree owners, while the state would gain a large amount data about tree stocks and timber in the country, facilitating good governance in timber management from now on. 

 

He invited tree owners nationwide to access the app and register their stocks.

 

An emergency number is also available at 1310, extension 3, in case owners need to consult officials about registration or any legal complications, he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368240

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-24

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Royal Forestry Department (RFD) has introduced the e-Tree app,

e-Tree .? Odds on it not being that easy .. 

 

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

which will allow owners of trees once prohibited for trading under dated forest law to register trees grown on their land, so that they can put them on sale from now on.

If its anything like registering a lot of things in Thailand it will be quite a trunk-ated process that numerous branches of authority wood need to be furnished with details of .. 

Edited April 23, 20197 yr by Justgrazing
Sp

Sounds like they’re going to be facilitating an easier way to launder trees from protected stocks.

If we take this at face value, it is a great development. The problem was that in spite of the tremendous value of these trees, nobody wanted to plant these protected trees anywhere, because once planted. they could NEVER legally be cut down, EVER. Cutting them, even ones you planted yourself on your one land, under any circumstances, was against the law. This had the perverse effect that no one wanted to plant them.

 

If this new law/ap addresses this problem, and land owners have the right to cut trees they planted, it could give rise to very profitable plantations of these protected trees, managed, cut and sold for profit, which would significantly reduce pressure on wild stands. It's about time.

After doing some checking, the trees are slow growing and you need large diameters for high value. The estimates of when the trees are ready to harvest range from a low of 100 years to a high of 240 years. Ouch.