This is original growth forest in Preah Vihear Province, part of 1500 hectares kept as a nature preserve. It is beautiful mountainous woodlands with magnificent trees.
This is the devastation less than 20 miles away where the original forests have been cut, the wood sold off (probably illegally and probably with a government connection), and small farmers have taken over.
I don’t know if it’s better or worse, but another area has been cut and replanted in rubber trees–usually in concessions owned by Cambodian tycoons/ministers or Chinese or Vietnamese companies. You can notice the small cups attached to the right side of each tree to catch the rubber as it flows out.
This is a picture of the front yard of the Maryknoll office in Phnom Penh. Our guards–who are basically bored silly all day and night–grow different things throughout the year. At present we have growing there a pineapple (yellow circle) and orchids (pink circle)—and the guard’s laundry on the rack on the right. How many of you have orchids and pineapples growing in your yards?
I did a series on the uses of luxury woods in Cambodia in February and then decided I had said enough about that for a while. But when on the priests retreat recently, I noticed how much luxury wood was used in the church in Sihanoukville.