A special kind of wood that is said to be rare and can discolor if the temperature and the light change is being hunted by people in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.
Products made from the strange timber
In recent months, people in Krong Nang district, Dak Lak, are rushing to the forest to hunt down the so-called color-change trees.
This type of wood can change its color when the light and the temperature change. Originally, the timber is in light white gray but it will shift to dark blue, with shiny appearance like stone or horn. This kind of timber also has visible veins which are as beautiful as veins of Artemisia wood.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, this kind of wood is used to make crafts items, such as flower vases, statues, etc. A statue of Maitreya of 60cm tall, 40cm in diameter is priced up to VND4 million ($200).
According to the radio Voice of Vietnam, this type of wood is no longer seen in Krong Nang. Some wood workshops in the region have to make craft items from the roots of this plant.
Although this kind of wood has many strange characteristics and it has been hunted for several months, the local authorities have not yet determined the correct scientific name of this plant.
Director of the Ea So Natural Reserve in Ea Kar district, Mr. Le Dac Y, also said he did not know about this plant. However, Y said this strange plant is exclusively located in an area adjacent to Krong Nang district.
Y said that only with the characteristics of discoloration and being distributed over a narrow range, this kind of wood can be classified as rare wood.
Earlier, Artemisia was also hunted in Dak Lak.
While in the area, this plant has been exhausted, the Ea So natural reserve sent samples to the University of Central Highlands to determine the name, species, value, etc. of the plant. The natural reserve has also coordinated with the authorities of Krong Nang to protect the plant.
In the past two months, Krong Nang authorities have discovered several cases of illegally exploiting and transporting the color-changing wood, seizing a total of more than 3m3.
Earlier, Artemisia was also hunted in Dak Lak, resulted in the exhaustion of this plant. According to statistics, Vietnam has only a few individuals of Artemisia in remote areas in Krong Nang and Ea H'leo districts.
The “fever” for Artemisia wood started from the rumors that this wood can cure diseases and get rid of insects like ants, mosquitoes, etc. At the peak of the fever, the price for one cubic meter of this wood was up to tens of thousands of USD.
Earlier, Artemisia was also hunted in Dak Lak
(Dtinews)