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hepcat

Recently bought 1 rai on Koh Lanta. At the moment it is full of rubber trees. Are these easily removed from the land? How much would I pay to have the land cleared?

killerbees

From what I remember, the trees are knocked down (shallow roots), the lumber harvested, and the stumps burned when they have had time to dry out. You would actually make money by selling the lumber. I'm not sure how much it would cost to have somebody come out and do it.

Why not keep the rubber trees as an investment?

Also, my old house was right up against a rubber tree plantation (less than a rai, I think). I never had nor did I ever need air-conditioning. I rarely ever even turned on the fan. And being able to look out my bedroom, etc., windows and see real, honest to God trees and not some shitty concrete abode was wonderful. So even if you're thinking of building a house or what have you, I'd say keep at least some of the trees for privacy and shade (and money).

Loy Toy

I had land cleared for free (some rubber but mainly coconut trees) as long as they could keep all the trees!

If a grader is needed and if the land is unlevel then you might have to pay some monies.

Killerbees has the right idea also. Keep as many trees as you can after you lay the footprint of your house onto the land making sure you keep all the coconut trees away from your roof line.

Good luck!

Happyman

Had 2 rai of rubber cleared free
They had the wood - had to get a JCB in for a couple of days to pull the roots and stack them for burning .

El Gibbon

10/11 rai of rubber trees (mature, tapped out 25+years old) can fetch up to a million baht. They do the cutting and hauling for free. Depends a lot on location. Roads etc.

One rai is basically worthless, especially on an island. As mentioned previous, keep as many as possible. There are several reasons for this; propagation of wild orchids (if your lucky); excellent shade value and keeps the undergrowth down; cleaning up after cutting is a real bitch, noxious fumes -smoke and environmentally unsound; will enhance your opportunity for a mini wild life shelter for birds etc.

Good Luck.

E. G.

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hepcat

I don't have any intention of building anytime soon, so I thought I'd leave them there for the time being. 1 rai of rubber trees isn't going to make me a lot of money, but I'll leave them there until I build, just for the aesthetic and ecological value of it. I agree with the shade and coolness factor, however when I do build I think I'll bring in some other trees, as rubber aren't really the most pleasing to the eye. What are some of the favorite shade trees you guys have?????

DrAndy

The trouble with rubber trees is that, when you knock them down they bounce up again

Happyman

Tee f*ckin Hee!

We had a few jackfruit trees in amongst the rubber and left them there - once they got the light (without the rubber trees) they started growing and are nice shade trees now - as well as getting the jackfruit off them now !

El Gibbon

Jack fruit are pretty low hanging, plus they are messy as shit and draw red ants like there's no tomorrow. Only one type (of 2) is worth saving or eating.

Actually for shade areas you can stand up in rubber and Durian (trim lower branches) make for decent canopies.

Then you got the ornamentals like the flame tree etc.

E. G.

EDIT: forgot the tamarin tree

hepcat

another thing I'm wondering about...my land has some sea views, and I intended to build a two story house on stilts to maximize the view. What I don't want is trees in front that branch at eye level from the second story and block the view. My land is on a bit of a slope, and I intended to build on the highest portion of it. That leaves the rest of the land in front for the trees and garden. Any landscapers out there that could suggest some layouts?

panama hat

One 'problem' with rubber trees is that they are desidous . . . in other words, they will lose ALL their leaves and remain bare for up to six weeks . . . lots of fungal attacks will also denude your trees and one rai isn't worth keeping.

Get rid of them and re-plant something better . . . the timber price for rubber timber is quite high.

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somtamslap

First thing to do is find out the age of the trees, if they are over 12 years you can start to work out how much you'll be paid by the people clearing them.