Abbot admits selling 200-year Payoong tree to merchant

 

 

The abbot of a temple in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom has admitted that the temple committee, with the consent of people in the community, decided to sell a 200-year old Payoong (Siamese rosewood) tree to a timber merchant for 1.2 million baht because the temple could not protect the tree from loggers, who had been trying to fell the tree for the precious timber which is highly prized in Vietnam and China.

 

The six Payoong logs, which originated from Wat Supararam forest temple in Tambon Si Songkram, Si Songkram district, were seized by border patrol police at a checkpoint in Tha Uthen district on the night of June 12th.  The logs were about to be smuggled through Laos to a buyer in Vietnam.

 

The abbot said that loggers had already succeeded in cutting down two smaller Payoong trees on the temple grounds and had tried to fell this 200-year old tree, adding that the temple was unable to guard the tree around the clock.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/abbot-admits-selling-200-year-payoong-tree-to-merchant/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-06-22

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Isn't it illegal to chop down hard wood trees even if you own them?

13 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

Isn't it illegal to chop down hard wood trees even if you own them?

my wife tells me (yes, I know!) that if it's your tree, you can't cut it down, but someone else that you have an agreement with can get a permit to do so and you can split the selling profit.   Her Dad did 6 months a few years back for cutting down a tree on their land, but I think that was as much about a long running feud between him and the Village Head Man than it was about the tree law. 

Removed some off-topic posts.

4 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Isn't it illegal to chop down hard wood trees even if you own them?

 

From the news article in the OP it would appear that an amendment to the forestry law has made it legal now.

 

Quote

The temple committee discussed the matter with people in the community who agreed it was better to sell the tree to a timber merchant than to let the tree be stolen by loggers and get nothing, said the abbot, adding the deal was legal after amendments to the forestry law allow individuals to own, plant and sell precious trees, such as Payoong.

 

So the guy sold it for about US$39000

 

sad.

 

I would be interested to know the size of the 200 year old tree, because a small board (40” x 4” x 1.812”) with “cracks and checks on both faces” is over $100.

 

https://www.rarewoodsusa.com/product/rosewood-vietnamese/

 

4 hours ago, Pilotman said:

my wife tells me (yes, I know!) that if it's your tree, you can't cut it down, but someone else that you have an agreement with can get a permit to do so and you can split the selling profit.   Her Dad did 6 months a few years back for cutting down a tree on their land, but I think that was as much about a long running feud between him and the Village Head Man than it was about the tree law. 

 

Gf Told me the same. For some special trees, you can't cut it down after many years and you need to ask for kind of a permit for it and also a certificate that proves it's yours.

So money does grow on trees here.

 

What beautiful wood .. Is it not a sad indictment when we have to guard trees and other rare treasures of our world from people who think only to cut them down or kill them for money .. The same in the animal kingdom where creatures have been hunted to very extinction to satisfy the vanity of some societies .. 

Removed an off-topic post.

Money is the "root" of all evil.

 

(I am lucky. Don't have any "roots")

19 hours ago, rooster59 said:

timber which is highly prized in Vietnam and China.

 

19 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The logs were about to be smuggled through Laos to a buyer in Vietnam.

So the Abbot decided to do it himself... Thai logic at it's best

Now its been seized what are the going to do with it glue it back together or make some money????

12 hours ago, anthobkk said:

 

Gf Told me the same. For some special trees, you can't cut it down after many years and you need to ask for kind of a permit for it and also a certificate that proves it's yours.

 

The law was changed recently, making it legal so as to encourage planting of more hard woods.

Several universities around the country held seminars/workshops on the cultivation of rarer species.

We have planted a few on our plots, hopefully as an investment for future family (we will be long dead before they mature)...