Teak in Britain

In early history, because the British Naval Fleet was literally being eaten away by woodworms, Britain become very interested to grow and produce teakwood.

It didn’t take Britain long to realized that there was no need for them to grow teakwood as they could simply annex the countries that produced teakwood. Granted the need for teakwood was not the only reason why Britain colonized most of Asia and India. Because the British need countless ships, the teak forests were quickly being depleted. Teakwood soon became the preferred wood for shipbuilding, and furniture. The wood shrunk very little, was resistant to warping, and required very little maintenance. In addition it was impervious to and insects. The British used more than one thousand tons of teakwood to build the ocean liner Queen Mary. It wasn’t long before the British government realized that the teak forest were vanishing and soon developed a re-forestation plan. Teak trees were soon replanted on Teak plantations. The British also passed and enforced strict laws governing who could cut a Teak Tree down, export it, and purchase teakwood.

Over 90% of all the Teak grown today is under local government control on plantations. The other 10% can be found in forest where it is illegal to cut down with out special permission from the local government. In some countries, individuals who have been caught illegally cutting down teak tress have been executed. Today, the demand for Teak has increased at a rate of 10% per year. This increased demand has lead many marketers to produce products that they advertise as “Teak like, or “As strong as Teak.” Many times these products have only been treated with teak oil, and they are not as durable, or as resistant to rot and insect infestation as real teak. The consumer soon learns with when within a couple of years their Teak like furniture has been infested with beetles, termites, or rot and must be replaced. It is very understandable why many people would want to avoid purchasing Teakwood, believing that it is a rare wood and needing protecting. However, because the British government realized years ago the importance of teakwood, today its harvest are strongly controlled, ensuring the teak forest will survive for many generations just as the products that are produced from its lumber.