Talking Trees

A Blog by John Halkett

Month: April 2016

Sole remaining mahogany tree from those planted in 1885.
Sole remaining mahogany tree from those planted in 1885.

Penang mahogany tree

April 12, 2016 /

Just back from working in Penang, Malaysia. This mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) tree is the sole remaining survivor of those planted in the church grounds in1885.

The church, St George The Martyr, is the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia. It was built by convicts brought in from India in 1819. A critical component of the church’s construction was mahogany beams that travelled from India to Penang on the same ship as the convicts.

The church was damaged by Japanese bombing in 1941 and repaired in 1948. It was given national heritage status by the Malaysian Government in 2007, together… Read more “Penang mahogany tree”

Confiscated boat to be disassembled and the timber recycled.
Confiscated boat to be disassembled and the timber recycled.

Disassembling and recycling confiscated boats saves trees

April 12, 2016 /

For perhaps a couple of decades now governments in Southeast Asia, and the Australian Government have been sinking or otherwise destroying boats seized because of alleged people smuggling and illegal fishing activities. The motive behind this action seems to have been to deny perpetrators the opportunity to reuse these vessels for unlawful purposes.

Most of these boats originate from Indonesia and are made from high quality Indonesian or Malaysian hardwood timber. Some contain teak.

To their credit the Malaysian Government has recently permitted confiscated boats to be disassembled,… Read more “Disassembling and recycling confiscated boats saves trees”

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