#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  Growing Mahogany Trees

## Destinyschild

Hello All,

Anyone here has or is planning on growing Mahogany trees? 

What are they worth now in Thailand, and how much do you think they will be worth in 10 years time for a 10 year old Mahogany tree?

Thanks
DC

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## Thetyim

I thought Mahogany took a lot longer to grow.

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## Destinyschild

In good soil and well taken care of, in 10 years a Mahogany tree can grow around 400mm in diametre. This is from what I have been told.

I will ask the question again, as I have noticed some people planting Teak trees. And Mahogany is also a high quality hard wood used mainly for furniture. So would Mahogany be worth more?

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## Thetyim

40mm is only one and half inches, I think it grows a bit faster than that.

Should be able to harvest after 20 years

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## blackgang

What kind of mahogany are we talking about?

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## blackgang

First plantation mahogany hits the sawmill - 13/07/2006

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## Destinyschild

Yes, African Mahogany. How much would a 400mm tree be worth here ppl?

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## blackgang

Nothing to me, but someone might want to buy it tho..

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## Sakeopete

Keep in mind as per the thefts of eucalyptus trees it may be worth a lot to the thief especially mahogany and teak. Around our area night time raids of tree plantations aren't rare, be careful!

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## Destinyschild

> Keep in mind as per the thefts of eucalyptus trees it may be worth a lot to the thief especially mahogany and teak. Around our area night time raids of tree plantations aren't rare, be careful!


Thanks for the informative reply. And yes, I will be carefull. But if you planted a hundred Mahogany tress, how on earth is a theif going steel 100 x 10metre tall / 400mm trees?

Regardless, no one has still been able to answer my original question.

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## Marmite the Dog

> egardless, no one has still been able to answer my original question.


Just a thought, but maybe we don't know?

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## Rattanaburi

Is mahogony grown anywhere in Thailand now?

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## blackgang

*Mahogany* (_swietenia macrophylla_), one of the most prized timbers in the world, is difficult to grow in plantations. GGF is basing its figures and explanations on the production of teak but we do intend to grow small amounts of mahogany as well. Should the mahogany fail it will be replaced with teak. The main reason for the failure of mahogany when grown in a plantation is because of the damage done by the mahogany shoot borer, Hypsipyla grandella,which bores into twigs and seed capsules of trees. Mahogany shoot borers attack new shoots and are seldom seen attacking hardened-off shoots. Mahogany trees are susceptible to attack when they reach a height of 0.5 meter (Griffiths 2001). The insect's most severe damage to trees occurs when a larva bores into and kills the terminal shoot. A lateral branch grows upward to replace the lost terminal shoot, resulting in a crooked main stem. Small trees whose terminal shoots are attacked repeatedly in successive years become extremely deformed. Growing mahogany is possible but it is best to do on a less intensive scale.

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## Treelover

Hi folks ,
I just came across this old thread .
We recently bought 6 Rai adjacent to our property , but it is "Army Land " e.g. no land title . 
Would like to plant teak , but since it has to be registered and we do not have a land title (yet) thats too big of a risk . 
Mahagony , I am told growns a bit slower (20 years , instead of 15 for teak in plantation setting.), but since there is no need to register with the forrest department , we may have to go this way.
Now is there anybody who actually has done this . I mean no recycled info from other websites etc , actually got his hands dirty and did it ?
Any comment reg mahagony trees will be appreciated :deadhorsebig:  :deadhorsebig:

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## superman

I found these 2 responses to the OP's question on TV. Hope it helps.




> missismiggins, on 2008-08-24 0538, said:
> Probably a good investment for your grandkids...you will probably not see the benefit.
> 
> 
> 
> That's a common myth. Sure it may be a long time before you can harvest the trees (20 - 50 years), but you can sell them at any time - e.g. after one year or ten years, etc, as living trees, not timber. Their value will increase each year as they get bigger (assuming you take care of them). You can see some nice mahogany trees growing along the streets in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Some info is attached. I suggest that if you want to grow such a tree crop that you try to tap into some of the carbon credit money that is now floating around. That may cover your planting costs.
> 
> 
> It is a beautiful tree and the wood is just as beautiful. But, it is not a good investment crop. It is too expensive to maintain. You will have every type of bug in Thailand chowing on your trees and spreading to other crops in the area. You can't spray weed killer around the roots, it will slow down it's growth. The first 4 years you will spend most of your time standing and staking the trees that fall over. When you finally have big enough trees to sell. Landscape Architects Will not design them on their projects due to the size and amount of the seeds that drop causing damage to cars. 
> ...

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