In the first 2 years, some of the Teak saplings will need to be culled to eliminate any inferior trees. Trees thinned in years 4 to 6 are also projected as having some value as posts. In today’s market, only high quality, mature teak is bought in international markets, so these culled saplings would have to be sold locally, if possible.
The worldwide demand for plantation grown Teak is growing as inventories from native wild Teak is rapidly decreasing. The World Bank forecasts a 6% annual increase in the price of all grades of “First Quality” and “Rough Sawn” teak for the foreseeable future. Since the mid-1990’s teak plantations have started up all over the world in regions with climates that mirror native teak forests and soil make-up. The Toledo District of Belize is a perfect climate for growing Teak.
The ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report on January 15, 2008, reported that the US imported sawn wood prices for “Rough Sawn” teak lumber is $1,625 per cubic yard, or $5.01 per board foot. It also reported that the price for “First Quality” teak lumber in the U.K. market is $3,181 to $3,673 per cubic yard, or $9.81 to $11.33 per board foot.
Teak is prized throughout the world for its use in boat building, fine furniture making, flooring, veneers, cabinetry and joinery. Because of it natural oils, it is resistant to moisture and the drying effects of weather. Teak is a well-known wood with established markets and a proven reputation and is highly resistant to termites and fire.
VITAL STATISTICS:
Tropical. Height 150 feet to 160 feet. Trunk diameter of 6 feet to 8 feet. The
Asiatic teak may achieve a huge trunk circumference of 40 feet. Distribution:
southern India, Thailand, Burma and Java; also Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the
East Indies. Grown in commercial quantities throughout Southeast Asia, numerous
plantations have recently been developed within this natural range and also in
tropical areas of Latin America and Africa. Because it can be harvested in as
little as 16 -20 years it is an great plantation species.
Is a teak
plantation environmentally sound?
Natural forests are the source of almost all high grade hardwoods in the tropics
but are being degraded and deforested at an unprecedented rate. Areas under
sustained yield are relatively small and alternative supply sources
(plantations), which provide positive social and environmental benefits, are
scarce. Teak, the major tropical hardwood plantation species, is a useful
indicator of plantation trends. In 1980, it constituted 11% of the total area of
tropical forest plantations whereas in 1990 the corresponding figure was 5%. If
present trends persist, the future outlook for the sustainable supply of quality
tropical hardwoods, is bleak. This is at a time when demand for the raw
material, particularly domestic demand, is forecast to rise. What is required
now, to avoid a pending crisis in the sustainable supply of tropical hardwoods,
is to increase, substantially, the area under sustainable management in natural
forests and supplement this with a significant increase in plantations which
perform social and environmental roles.
When the time comes to harvest, you can select your own logger and lumber mill or we can arrange this for you. You can then sell your Teak however you please to the highest buyer.
Bruce Carroll, Managing Director