Collectors Of Valuable Bonsai Pose A Threat To Forests, Tree Varieties

Some households in Nghi Yen Commune,
Nghe An Province specialise in transporting
big, old bonsai from central provinces to
re-sell to customers.

QUANG NAM — Many bonsai connoisseurs search every hidden corner and crevice of Viet Nam’s central jungles to find big, old ornamental trees. The increasingly popular trend is threatening the existence of certain tree varieties, as well as causing significant damage to the environment.
Truong, an ornamental tree farm owner in Binh Nguyen Commune in Quang Nam Province’s Thang Binh District, explained that big, old ornamental trees were mainly sold to ‘bosses’ in HCM City, and to wealthy buyers from Ha Noi, who are often willing to pay high prices.
Truong owns hundreds of valuable trees and his collection includes many different varieties, such as banyan, cajeput, and willow. Many trees are as tall as five metres with roots measuring one metre in diameter.
"It is a pleasure to see young buds sprouting on an old tree. It is something that collectors love about their hobby," Truong said.
He continued that he and some other owners used to sell many of their trees to an ocean ecological tourist centre in Thang Binh District because "they plant them in a jungle there."
Prices for ornamental trees vary. Truong once told a customer half in jest and half in earnest "If you like us, you buy a small tree for about VND3 million, if you want to give a nice gift to your boss or buy a tree for your office you should buy an expensive one."
Dong, another owner, revealed that he once met some buyers transporting ornamental trees worth about VND40 million (US$2,666) from the nearby Binh Thuan Province through Quang Nam.
Part of the task of buyers and sellers is the painstaking process of excavating a big ornamental tree with well established roots. Sometimes seven people have to use a bulldozer and a pulley to dig out a deep, tangled root system that can spread out for ten metres. Diggers often have to kill many other small trees at the same time.
When asked why people could dig up so many precious trees, most owners in Binh Nguyen Commune replied: "There is no where else to go, the forest is the only option." And unfortunately, it’s true.
Recently, the forest ranger agency in Quang Nam Province’s Bac Tra My District discovered a lorry transporting big, old ornamental trees that had been illegally taken from the nearby forest. Ten huge trees were confiscated.
Explaining about the loose management, Diep Thanh Phong, head of Quang Nam forest ranger agency, said the policies created to protect the forests are too new and not specific enough to handle the problem properly.
The agency has already asked the Forest Ranger Department to allow it to settle the illegal exploitation of bonsai as strictly as it deals with other forest products.
In response, the forest ranger department has requested forest ranger agencies in provinces nation-wide to implement measures to stop people from digging up trees and removing them from the forest for bonsai collection.
Big, old ornamental trees taken from gardens for sale must have a certificate from local agencies.