The illegal logging of phayung, or Siamese rosewood, in Thailand's protected forests has become a crime involving lawbreakers from several countries. Demand from China is on the rise, and loggers from Cambodia and Laos are crossing the border to join local gangs in cutting down the precious timber.
Chaiyuth: Phayung faces extinction risk
Natural Resources Conservation Division director Chaiyuth Khunchompoo, who is also secretary to a phayung protection committee in Isan, discusses the challenge of protecting the lucrative trees with APINYA WIPATAYOTIN.
Could you describe the current situation regarding the logging of Siamese rosewood?
The situation is serious, especially in Isan where cases of illegal logging have been increasing.
Last year [October 2011-September 2012], forest officials confiscated 5,964 Siamese rosewood logs in 250 cases.
In the first five months of this year, we have already seized 3,881 logs.
Worse, it's not only domestic groups that are involved with the illegal logging. The issue has turned into a transnational crime as people from neighbouring countries have become involved in the trade.
Department of Natural Resources figures show that of the 638 culprits arrested last year, 338 were Cambodian, 19 were Lao, and 279 were Thai.
So far this year, there have been 466 cases of illegal logging committed by 329 people. Most (163) of those culprits were Cambodian, along with 151 Thais and 15 Lao nationals.
Demand for Siamese rosewood in China has been increasing since 2006. The wood is frequently used there to repair old-style buildings. The rosewood is a symbol of prosperity for Chinese people, but it is only found growing in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Thailand is the largest source of the precious wood in the region.
Why are so many Cambodians involved in the illegal logging?
The simple fact is that the price of the precious wood has risen dramatically, from a few thousand baht per piece to several hundred thousand baht per piece in the space of a few years.
That price can even reach as high as 1 million baht for a large log.
Also, we share a border with Cambodia over a distance of more than 400 kilometres. The rosewood grows in many spots along the border. Would-be poachers in Cambodia can easily enter Thai territory by illegally crossing the border.
I have found many new villages which have been established in the border area. Many have newly cut roads. Smuggled timber can be stored at these villages before being sent to China.
Loggers are often protected by armed guards while harvesting the wood. We have found that women and children help carry the logs out of the forest.
How about the situation at the World Heritage-listed Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex? The forest complex is the country's second-largest source of Siamese rosewood. The trees are spread over an area of more than 100,000 rai, mainly concentrated in Thab Lan, Pang Sida and Ta Phraya national parks as well as in Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary.
According to Department of Natural Resources figures, 211 phayung logs were seized last year in 42 cases at the World Heritage site. So far this year, 96 logs have been seized in 11 cases.
Does the department have any plan to prevent the logging?
The department has arranged full-scale forest patrol teams to prevent the illegal felling of phayung trees in Isan, especially inside the World Heritage site. There are around 300 officials working in the forests. Each team is stationed at logging hotspots for about two or three days at a time to protect the trees.
Inside the World Heritage site, the hotspots are divided into zones for each forest unit to take care of. If there is a report of illegal logging in one of these zones, the chief of the attached unit will be held responsible for any failures.
Do you think phayung will be wiped out in Thailand?
As long as demand remains high for phayung, I would say there is still a high risk the tree will become extinct.
The department has done its best to protect and preserve the trees; we will not lower our guard.
Our research also shows that even after they are felled, phayung trees can regenerate if the trunk was not cut too close the ground.