selling old rubber trees

[roundeye]

Good evening gentelmen, I am looking to sell about 8 rai of old rubber trees. My wife is in Thailand and she is getting offers from 11k baht/ rai, to 14.5k baht/rai. Is this in the ballpark? Has anyone else sold old trees lately. They are aprox. 20-30 ft. high which has bearing on the amount of lumber that is recovered. Our land is in the Buriram area. Thnx for the input, Be well.

[Farang Paul]

The price is dependent on many factors:

Ease of access and removal of trees.

Size and condition of trees.

Distance wood has to be transported.

Prevailing timber price.

The price you quoted is in the right ball park, however it is lower than it was some time back as there is over-supply and the labour costs to cut the wood have increased.

Make sure that the contractor used is quoting for lifting and clearing the roots, some better priced deals only involve cutting and removing the timber, not making good the land afterwards.

Good luck

[thaiguzzi]

I thought that price is too low. A couple of years ago up here in Udon, and down in Chonburi, the going rate was 50k per rai. Dependent on trunk thickness, ie circumference. They are only normally interested in the first 3 metres before the canopy originally started.There is a current over supply in latex, but i would (excuse the pun) of thought wood is wood for furniture manufacturers.

[Farang Paul]

There is an over supply of wood because:

1. In the South many farmers have chopped down their rubber and replaced it with oil palm - labour to tap has become more difficult to find, especially round Phuket and tourist areas; therefore there is more wood on the market.

2. Rubber wood has only limited use for furniture as it is almost impossible to stain or paint, except with specialist (expensive) materials. It therefore is restricted in use mostly to framing of furniture covered with fabric or leather and the demand for this is finite.

3. Thaiguzzi may think the price is low but the market is the market and that is the current price - suggest he sells it for you on commission if he can get a better price!