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Saving Agarwood from Extinction

There are many names for the resinous, fragrant heartwood produced primarily by trees in the genus Aquilaria. The commoner names include agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood, gaharu or oudh, and it is also mentioned in the Old Testament as ‘aloe’ or ‘ahaloth’. This valuable and highly fragrant wood has been used in many ways for over two thousand years, especially as incense in Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic traditional ceremonies, and as a significant component of traditional Ayurvedic, Tibetan and Far Eastern medicine and Middle Eastern perfumes. The genus Aquilaria of the Thymelaeaceae (Daphne family) consists of generally fast-growing trees found in lowland tropical [...]

Agarwood Trees Gave Hong Kong its Name

YEUNG SIU YU points to where a large, agarwood old tree has been hacked with a blade. Villagers have erected a metal fence around the trunk to prevent further attacks, but they fear there will be more: low-hanging limbs are still exposed. “The thieves will come back for this piece,” says Mr Yeung, pointing to the stump of a agarwood branch just above his head. Mr Yeung forsook city life to keep bees on the carefree (and car-free) island of Lamma, a couple of miles from the main island of Hong Kong where the territory’s government and financial centre lie. Lamma’s [...]

Very Rare Agarwood Species is Making a Comeback

A critically endangered species of agarwood, which has been elusive for more than 100 years, has resurfaced. The Aquilaria rostrata was first discovered in 1911 and was thought to be native only to Wray’s Camp in Taman Negara, Pahang. Since then, nobody had spotted the elusive agarwood species. However, two Forestry Department rangers found what they suspected to be the elusive species in April last year in Besut, Terengganu, some 100km away from where it was first discovered. Their suspicion was soon confirmed by a research team in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) led by associate professor Dr Rozi Mohamed. “At first, [...]

The Secret Agarwood Treasure of Vietnam

Plantations International is investigating a rumor has been spread out that two men in Bo Trach district in Quang Binh province accidentally found an Agarwood treasure in the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. However, Professor Phan Truong Thi, Head of the Gemstone and Jewelries Institute, has denied the possibility of the existence of an Agarwood treasure in nature. Therefore, he keeps doubts about the value of the Agarwood treasure and the sums of money the two men and others got from selling Agarwood they dug. Also according to Thi, Agarwood grows in the wild like many other flora species. [...]

Liquid Gold Rush Endangers Agarwood Trees

Sorja Tan remembers a time when it was easy to find agarwood trees – tall, straight jungle giants – that grew in the forest reserves here. Now, there are days when he leaves the forest after a long day of gaharu collecting empty-handed. “In the past, if you go to the forest, agarwood trees were not rare. You could find them close together here and there. Now, there are only a few left,” said the 22-year-old of the Temiar tribe living nearby. agarwood trees – or aquilaria malaccensis – are being logged by the tens of thousands in Malaysian jungles, mostly [...]

Brisk Business for Agarwood in Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Bukit Bintang is known for its glitzy malls and bars, which tourists make a beeline for. However, among the bustling nightspots and shopping centres, there are at least six agarwood shops and perfumeries along that street alone, attracting the stream of Arab visitors looking for the expensive scent used to, among others, spray on the curtains that cover the Kaabah in Mecca and for incense burnt in their homes. Preparing for the coming “Arab season” in August, these thriving shops have boxes and boxes of the rare wood in stock, mostly sourced from Malaysian rainforests. Shopkeepers said they buy their [...]

Agarwood Producing Trees in Malaysia are in Danger

Agarwood trees – or Aquilaria Malaccensis – are being logged by the tens of thousands in Malaysian jungles, mostly by foreigners because of the valuable agarwood, known locally as gaharu. One kilogramme of agarwood can fetch between RM4,000 and RM20,000 and its woodchips – which are turned into essential oils used in perfume and incense – fuel a RM26bil global trade every year. The rareness and value of agarwood oil has led traders to call it “liquid gold” and has sparked many to either grow or log Agarwood trees for profit. Tan is worried about the agarwood going extinct. This gold [...]

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