Traders keep their transactions secret by masquerading agarwood as gadgets. A whole tree is worth tens of millions of pesos, which is why many people would kill for a piece of this rare tree. There is a gold rush happening in the jungles of the Philippines. Foreigners travel to the Philippines and hike to remote villages seeking help to find the rare tree. In the Philippines, lapnisan or agar is found only in the heart of the thickest jungles of Mindanao and the Visayas. On August 27, the DENR regional office here formed the Agarwood Watch and Response Team to formulate procedures and implement suitable courses of action to address relevant issues from the arrest of violators, administrative adjudication, filing and disposition of cases. Sellers hardly use the word agarwood or. Aside from being one of the most expensive, it is also the most valuable wood. “In the Philippines, we don’t have technologies to find out if the host tree has agarwood. The Bubinga is among the most expensive wood in the world, which is also a flowering plant, belonging to the Fabaceae Bubinga family. Below is an example of a post selling lapnisan online. It has been read 104753 times and generated 26 comments. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) says it is illegal to buy, sell, collect, or transport any part of agarwood or lapnisan. Lapnisan or agarwood is a non-timber type of wood that is used for its sap or resin, which is used in the perfume and scents industry. Agarwood forms when such trees as Lapnisan and Lanete become infected with a type of mold. It is an excellent wood for joinery and furniture, and often replaces the use of Lauan. Find out more here. September 26, 2019, 5:01 pm, EXPENSIVE WOOD. The treasure is one of the rarest trees in the world: . Copyright 2020 Philippine News Agency. Darker wood likely means the tree has an infection and produces a fragrant scent. © 2019 EsquireMag.ph, All Rights Reserved. Traders keep their transactions secret by masquerading agarwood as gadgets. The tree is very rare and is found in the deepest parts of the jungles of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. The blanket ban on lapnisan does not prevent poachers and traders from removing them from the jungles. A kilo of the tree’s agarwood is worth P750,000. We’ll tell you what’s the most expensive wood, where it comes from, how durable it is, and what you can use it for. Nyatoh, also known as Nato in the Philippines, is imported from Malaysia. The treasure is one of the rarest trees in the world: lapnisan or agarwood. The team from DENR, police, and military seized expensive forest products in Abuyog, Leyte; Silago, Southern Leyte; and Babatngon, Leyte. This way, authorities will have a harder time tracking them down. It only grows in areas with high elevation and cool climate. “People in the communities are tempted to engage in this illegal activity since agar is the most expensive wood in the world and considered as liquid gold.” In the country, the first class agarwood is traded at PHP750,000 per kilogram. “We asked our enforcement team in Samar and Biliran provinces to be on alert because we received reports of plans to expand agarwood search in other provinces of the region,” Barcelo added. online. From June to early August this year, authorities have already confiscated 13.58 kilograms of agarwood with an estimated value of PHP1.33 million. The DENR official warned those planning to cut Lapnisan and Lanete trees that they will face charges for violation of the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines and Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. By continued use, you agree to our privacy policy and accept our use of such cookies. It grows in China, India, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, and can be found in different colors: red, brown, and dark grey. DENR Regional Director Crizaldy Barcelo said some traders from Mindanao have been coming to the region, expressing their intention to buy agarwood -- sometimes described as liquid gold -- extracted from host trees locally known as Lapnisan and Lanete. A kilo of agarwood fetches as much as P750,000. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on Esquiremag.ph. in their dealings but would use codenames. It grows significantly in flooded woodlands and muddy places. It is hard to cultivate, which is why it remains a very rare species. Sellers hardly use the word agarwood or lapnisan in their dealings but would use codenames. It is also the world’s most expensive tree. First grade agarwood is one of the most expensive natural raw material in the world. 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TACLOBAN CITY -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has expressed concern over indiscriminate cutting of trees in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) in search of agarwood, one of the world’s most expensive natural raw material. You can tell if a tree is infected by looking at the color of its wood. Agarwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood and is used as incense, perfume ingredient, and also in small carvings. But lapnisan is an endangered species and the government has it under its protection. is an endangered species and the government has it under its protection. In the country, the first class agarwood is traded at PHP750,000 per kilogram. A whole tree is worth tens of millions of pesos, which is why many people would kill for a piece of this rare tree. The most expensive wood in the world would set you back several thousands of dollars, and today, we’re going to have a look at the 10 most expensive wood in the world.