Hard-wood Trees Cut And Stolen

[chevykanteve]

Last Sunday I went to inspect an 18 rai forested-plot I own. I hadn't been there in 4 months, due to work obligations. To make a long story short, approximately 4 rai of the forest --dton kung, dton pradoo, dton geeg-- were gone.... I mean NOT THERE. I now am forced to cut down the remaining 14 rai of hard-woods, inorder simply to do so before the thieves return and do it themselves. It's a pity. I had nurtured that forest for years; locals came and collected mushrooms and natural mun for generations. But I'm now cutting down the remainder of the hard-woods as a necessity to beat the thieves at their own act. Before anyone asks, the police were useless to stop the tree-thieves, and the locals' responses to queries regarding these thefts can best be summarized via the Lao language: bo hoo, bo see (or in Thai: my loo, my chee -- a rough translation is as follows: I don't know, and I wouldn't tell you if I did.

The location: Ban Kud Kueng (next to Ban Kased) in the Amphur Phontong - Seelaphum area in ROI-ET PROVINCE.

Edited February 15, 2008 by chevykanteve

[Gary A]

Yes, unfortunately that is the case. See my response to the laterite post.

[Thaddeus]

Jeez that's bad.

Couldn't you hire a local to act as a sort of forestry security guard to save having to cut them all down?

[chevykanteve]

Jeez that's bad.

Couldn't you hire a local to act as a sort of forestry security guard to save having to cut them all down?

Hiring a local from that village to "protect" the remaining trees would be money down the drain. Incidentally, all the barbed wire I had put around that land (6,000 - 7,000 baht worth) disappeared about 1 year ago, along with the nails used to fix that wire onto wooden posts. Yes, the nails, bent and rusted, were also stolen.

After cutting down the remainder of the trees, I will plant cashew trees. Nobody will steal them and buffaloes/cows aren't partial to eating them.

[Thaddeus]

For gods sake don't build a gate ... if they steal that you won't be able to get back on the land.

[chevykanteve]

For gods sake don't build a gate ... if they steal that you won't be able to get back on the land.

That's funny, Thaddeus. Absolutely hilarious.

[ttthailand]

Nothing surprises me here. We had rubber taken from our trees last year. Can't own anything here and have it safe. Why try !

[Bicko]

After cutting down the remainder of the trees, I will plant cashew trees. Nobody will steal them and buffaloes/cows aren't partial to eating them.

Chevy just a word for you to consider before you cut the remainder of your trees.

My wife recently cut down a large tree on one of our farms and someone dobbed her in so the next thing we had a visit from the Amphur's office and the Police. Fortunately she got away with a warning on this ocassion so the word is to let them know first -although i am sure your tree robbers did not - or MAYBE THEY DID!!!!

[AA1]

Chevy,

I believe from my wife who was watching tv news that a lorry load of hard wood was seized by the Sangka (Surin) police a couple of days ago or so. They tried to bribe police quite highly BUT the Sangkha police who stopped them refused it!!!!!!

Not far from Roi Et. Could it have been wood from your 'forest'?

[chevykanteve]

Chevy,

I believe from my wife who was watching tv news that a lorry load of hard wood was seized by the Sangka (Surin) police a couple of days ago or so. They tried to bribe police quite highly BUT the Sangkha police who stopped them refused it!!!!!!

Not far from Roi Et. Could it have been wood from your 'forest'?

Probably not, but even if it were, I won't see it again.

[disgruntled]

Lots of poor people up there in Roi Et. No one cares in this country. Could even be the forestry people who took the stuff. Sorry for you. You can plant cashews but someone may steal them too. I used to live in Chantaburi a big durian growing area. Out there I always heard of people coming with pickups and cleaning out the orchards at night. The only way to have security here is to live onthe land or have your relative live on it.

[AYJAYDEE]

Lots of poor people up there in Roi Et. No one cares in this country. Could even be the forestry people who took the stuff. Sorry for you. You can plant cashews but someone may steal them too. I used to live in Chantaburi a big durian growing area. Out there I always heard of people coming with pickups and cleaning out the orchards at night. The only way to have security here is to live onthe land or have your relative live on it.

you can be very very sure the local police are already aware of your problem as they are the ones who will be buying the wood as they are the only ones who can safely market it.

[AYJAYDEE]

Last Sunday I went to inspect an 18 rai forested-plot I own. I hadn't been there in 4 months, due to work obligations. To make a long story short, approximately 4 rai of the forest --dton kung, dton pradoo, dton geeg-- were gone.... I mean NOT THERE. I now am forced to cut down the remaining 14 rai of hard-woods, inorder simply to do so before the thieves return and do it themselves. It's a pity. I had nurtured that forest for years; locals came and collected mushrooms and natural mun for generations. But I'm now cutting down the remainder of the hard-woods as a necessity to beat the thieves at their own act. Before anyone asks, the police were useless to stop the tree-thieves, and the locals' responses to queries regarding these thefts can best be summarized via the Lao language: bo hoo, bo see (or in Thai: my loo, my chee -- a rough translation is as follows: I don't know, and I wouldn't tell you if I did.

The location: Ban Kud Kueng (next to Ban Kased) in the Amphur Phontong - Seelaphum area in ROI-ET PROVINCE.

you can be very very sure the local police are already aware of your problem as they are the ones who will be buying the wood as they are the only ones who can safely market it.

[plachon]

Chevy just a word for you to consider before you cut the remainder of your trees.

My wife recently cut down a large tree on one of our farms and someone dobbed her in so the next thing we had a visit from the Amphur's office and the Police. Fortunately she got away with a warning on this ocassion so the word is to let them know first -although i am sure your tree robbers did not - or MAYBE THEY DID!!!!

If the tree is a conservation tree species like a "dton yang naa" or "dton pradoo", then the form is to tell the local cops and forestry officials and then cut down two trees - one for you and one for them. That way there is no problem about cutting down the tree and everyone's happy.

And that's why there is virtually no decent forest and no valuable, hardwood tree species left in Isaan. One for you and one for me.........twice the rate of destruction necessary.........Thai conservation logic.

Pity about the other 14 rai being sacrificed by Chevy though. Are you Thai? You could always try driving big nails into the wood to protect the trees from chainsaws Earthfirst style.

[jstumbo]

This type of thing happens in the US also. Near my home in Washington State there was a big forest area that had been there since I was a kid. I noticed on one of my trips back a few years ago that it was all cleared off. Turns out that the owner lives in Alaska and someone cut down the trees because no one was there to report on them.

[richard_smith237]

Tree’s are a first, I’ve never heard of that one before.

It seems no matter how fixed something is it can still be stolen, it’s the cheek that amazes me.

At my girlfriends house, due to some working going on the cars were parked outside the gates the other month. Her fathers (S-Class), Mothers (E-Class) and her (A-Class) all had their wing mirrors stolen (Just the glass part). This was in central Bangkok in a fairly busy area. The whole operation took 5 mins and was caught on one of the security camera’s they have mounted on the external walls to their house. I’ve seen the tape and it was a girl who stole the mirrors. Why she would do that has me stumped, but I guess that some parts shop would pay for the mirrors.

How much could a hard wood tree sell for if stolen? and how much could be made from 4 Rai of trees? Someone knows a lot of something here.

Edited February 22, 2008 by richard_smith237

[chevykanteve]

Tree’s are a first, I’ve never heard of that one before.

It seems no matter how fixed something is it can still be stolen, it’s the cheek that amazes me.

At my girlfriends house, due to some working going on the cars were parked outside the gates the other month. Her fathers (S-Class), Mothers (E-Class) and her (A-Class) all had their wing mirrors stolen (Just the glass part). This was in central Bangkok in a fairly busy area. The whole operation took 5 mins and was caught on one of the security camera’s they have mounted on the external walls to their house. I’ve seen the tape and it was a girl who stole the mirrors. Why she would do that has me stumped, but I guess that some parts shop would pay for the mirrors.

How much could a hard wood tree sell for if stolen? and how much could be made from 4 Rai of trees? Someone knows a lot of something here.

Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure of the prices myself, because I never had a desire to cut down and sell those trees. People have since told me that the dton pradoo tees that were cut would fetch 8,000 - 9,000 baht each.

Incidentally, the Tesaban office told me on two occasions that I could (if I wanted) cut down anything on that land, provided I used the wood for private house-construction purposes.

[Goinghomesoon]

Chevy we were told the same re: cutting wood and have just cut a lot of pradoo and mai daeng for our house. Father in law has taken to sleeping at their farm as poachers recently cut & stole a bunch of 20 - 30 year old pradoo trees. Not much upsets the guy but he had been nurturing the plantation since his 7 kids were toddlers so they would have wood for their own houses when they were adults. Losing a lot of the trees has almost broken him.

[RueFang]

If people are so keen on what's on your land, what's to stop people from stealing the cashews too? Seems like the same thing will happen.

[chevykanteve]

If people are so keen on what's on your land, what's to stop people from stealing the cashews too? Seems like the same thing will happen.

You mean stealing the nuts? I really don't care if they do or not. I planted cashews mostly because I think they are lovely trees.

In the future, when and if the trees produce cashews in large quantities, I may consider asking my mother-in-law to guard them. She would be more effective than any security guard (just kidding!).

[chevykanteve]

Chevy we were told the same re: cutting wood and have just cut a lot of pradoo and mai daeng for our house. Father in law has taken to sleeping at their farm as poachers recently cut & stole a bunch of 20 - 30 year old pradoo trees. Not much upsets the guy but he had been nurturing the plantation since his 7 kids were toddlers so they would have wood for their own houses when they were adults. Losing a lot of the trees has almost broken him.

I can understand his anguish. Anyone who loves to garden develops a special relationship with the trees, vegetables or whatever it is he's planted. It's almost a kind of love.