The Great Timber Rush
FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Disappearing rainforests coupled with increased demand for prized timbers is fueling a bonanza, the equivalent of a gold rush for lumber. Once considered too expensive for harvest, the returns on lost or discarded logs has attracted a new type of treasure hunter despites the risks.
The trade — not unlike the scrap recycling industry in metal, plastics or glass – has moved across Malaysia, Indonesia and onto the Thai-Cambodian borders where poachers are scouring the jungles for rosewood, among the world’s most sought-after timber.