Forestry in Taiwan

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Forestry in Taiwan was historically a significant industry. The logging of most of Taiwan's old growth forest has led to the sunset of the industry with remaining stands protected by law. Illegal logging remains a significant threat, especially to the oldest and most valuable trees.

Contents

History

From 1825 until 1866 a shipyard in Tainan produced wooden warships for the Qing navy out of native wood. Logging for warship production was one of the impetus for the Qing's colonial expansion into Taiwan's mountainous interior. [1]

Major commercial forestry in Taiwan began during the Japanese colonial period with most forestry products being shipped back to Japan. [2]

Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of many regions some of Taiwan's large trees survived, in 2022 a team of researchers identified 941 trees taller than 65m. [3]

Bamboo

Taiwanese indigenous peoples have a long history of bamboo cultivation. The Tsou tribe in Alishan harvests stone bamboo (phyllostachys lithophila) but harvests have been negatively impacted by drought. [4]

Camphor

Camphor has been produced as a forest product for centuries, condensed from the vapor given off by the roasting of wood chips cut from the relevant trees, and later by passing steam through the pulverized wood and condensing the vapors. [5] By the early 19th century most camphor tree reserves had been depleted with the remaining large stands in Japan and Taiwan with Taiwanese production greatly exceeding Japanese. Camphor was one of the primary resources extracted by Taiwan's colonial powers as well as one of the most lucrative. First the Chinese and then the Japanese established monopolies on Taiwanese camphor. In 1868 a British naval force sailed into Anping harbor and the local British representative demanded the end of the Chinese camphor monopoly, after the local Qing representative refused the British bombarded the town and took the harbor. The "camphor regulations” negotiated between the two sides subsequently saw a brief end to the camphor monopoly. [6] When its use in the nascent chemical industries greatly increased the volume of demand in the late 19th century, potential for changes in supply and in price followed. In 1911 Robert Kennedy Duncan, an industrial chemist and educator, related that the Imperial Japanese government had recently (1907–1908) tried to monopolize the production of natural camphor as a forest product in Asia but that the monopoly was prevented by the development of the total synthesis alternatives, [7]

Taiwan acacia

Taiwan acacia (Acacia confusa), also known as Formosan koa and Asian walnut, is a hardwood species native to Taiwan. It is challenging to work and for this reason was traditionally burned as firewood or turned into charcoal. In later years it was exported to China to be made into wood flooring for the American market. At its height Taiwan exported more than 1,000 containers of Taiwan acacia to China. More recently it has been used domestically to produce high value wood products like musical instruments, furniture, and bathtubs. [8]

Illegal logging

Illegal logger are known as shan laoshu, mountain rats, in Taiwan. Illegal logging is a major issue in Taiwan with significant revenue derived from the activity by organized crime and downstream industries. [9] Most illegal loggers are foreign laborers recruited by Taiwanese bosses, often they don't even know they are participating in an illegal activity. [2] Those directing the illegal logging and profiting the most from it are rarely caught because they do not get their hands dirty. Those doing the dirty work of illegal logging face not only the threat of capture and prosecution from the authorities but also the risk of violence from other criminal organizations involved in the illegal wood trade. [10]

In 2020 the Forestry Bureau greatly increased the maximum fines for illegal logging. [11]

Deforestation

Deforestation in Taiwan is the changes on the forested area in the island due to economy factors, such as agriculture, urban expansion etc. In 1904–2015, Taiwan has a net annual forest area change rate of 34 km2. [12]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logging</span> Process of cutting, processing, and moving trees

Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used narrowly to describe the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard. In common usage, however, the term may cover a range of forestry or silviculture activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camphor</span> Toxic, waxy, and transparent aromatic organic compound

Camphor is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel, a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapur tree, a tall timber tree from South East Asia. It also occurs in some other related trees in the laurel family, notably Ocotea usambarensis. Rosemary leaves contain 0.05 to 0.5% camphor, while camphorweed (Heterotheca) contains some 5%. A major source of camphor in Asia is camphor basil. Camphor can also be synthetically produced from oil of turpentine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal logging</span> Harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws

Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a protected area; the cutting down of protected species; or the extraction of timber in excess of agreed limits. Illegal logging is a driving force for a number of environmental issues such as deforestation, soil erosion and biodiversity loss which can drive larger-scale environmental crises such as climate change and other forms of environmental degradation.

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Taiwan Beer is a brand of mass market beer brewed by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL). The brand is an icon of Taiwanese culture and is applied to the best-selling beer in the country.

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<i>Camphora officinarum</i> Species of tree

Camphora officinarum is a species of evergreen tree that is commonly known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or camphor laurel.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation</span>

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The following outline is provided as an overview of and guide to forestry:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forestry in India</span> Environmental resource – India

Forestry in India is a significant rural industry and a major environmental resource. India is one of the ten most forest-rich countries of the world. Together, India and 9 other countries account for 67 percent of the total forest area of the world. India's forest cover grew at 0.20% annually over 1990–2000, and has grown at the rate of 0.7% per year over 2000–2010, after decades where forest degradation was a matter of serious concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Taiwan</span>

Agriculture is one of the main industries in Taiwan. It contributes to the food security, rural development and conservation of Taiwan. Around 24% of Taiwan's land is used for farming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal logging in Madagascar</span>

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The wood industry or timber industry is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products and secondary products like wood pulp for the pulp and paper industry. Some of the largest producers are also among the biggest owners of timberland. The wood industry has historically been and continues to be an important sector in many economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teak in Myanmar</span>

Teak, tectona grandis, is a hardwood tree native to much of South and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar. Due to its natural water resistance, teak is sought out for a variety of uses including furniture-making and shipbuilding. Teak grows throughout much of Burma, but was first exploited in the Tenasserim region in the southeast of Burma on the Malay Peninsula Though it has long been used by locals, teak has been important to the economy of Myanmar since British Colonization and remains a political issue today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime industries of Taiwan</span> Maritime industries of Taiwan

The maritime industries of Taiwan are a large part of Taiwan's economy. Industries of particular importance are shipbuilding, boat building, maritime transport, aquaculture, mariculture, commercial fishing, seafood processing, offshore wind power and various forms of tourism. Deep sea mining, especially of dormant hydrothermal vents, is also being considered for the future. In 2018 Taiwan was the fourth largest yacht building nation. Taiwan is home to a number of maritime museums and maritime colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense industry of Taiwan</span> Domestic Taiwan industry

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References

  1. ↑ Turton, Michael. "Notes from Central Taiwan: Taiwan's shrinking middle ground". taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 Aspinwall, Nick. "Taiwan Authorities Bust Illegal Logging Ring as Island's Forest Wars Rage On". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  3. ↑ Jung-hsiang, Chang; Lin, Sean. "Taiwan research team unveils map of island's tallest trees". focustaiwan.tw. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Chang, Sean. "Taiwan tribe despairs as drought shrinks bamboo crop". phys.org. phys.org. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Camphor". britannica.com. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  6. ↑ Cheung, Han. "Taiwan in Time: The camphor dispute". www.taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Kennedy Duncan, Robert (1911), "Camphor: An Industry Revolutionized", Some Chemical Problems of Today, Harper and Brothers, LCCN   11026192.
  8. ↑ "Taiwan Acacia's Commercial Evolution". topics.amcham.com.tw. Taiwan Topics. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Aspinwall, Nick. "Taiwan's Silent Forest Wars". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Taiwan's centuries-old trees under threat by 'mountain rats' who chop them down for illegal sale". channelnewsasia.com/. CNA. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Yuan-ting, Yang; Xie, Dennis. "Illegal logging fines to be raised". www.taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  12. ↑ Chen, Yi-Ying; Huang, Wei; Wang, Wei-Hong; Juang, Jehn-Yih; Hong, Jing-Shan; Kato, Tomomichi; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan (6 March 2019). "Reconstructing Taiwan's land cover changes between 1904 and 2015 from historical maps and satellite images". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 3643. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.3643C. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40063-1. PMC   6403323 . PMID   30842476.
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