Tree Conservation Information Service
| Santalum
album
Santalaceae Sandalwood Distribution This species is widely scattered in China, India, Indonesia (Timor, Sumba and Flores and planted in Java and Bali), the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Philippines and Australia. Once the tree was thought to have originated from India, but most botanists now believe that sandalwood was taken from Indonesia to India (Monk, de Fretes and Reksodiharjo-Lilley, 1997). Habitat In India, S. album occurs between the elevations of 0-700 m and in rainfall zones of 300-3000 mm. It is found mainly in dry deciduous forests (USDA, 1990). Population status and trends In India, Sandalwood is regenerating when in favourable conditions and it's distribution is extending (USDA, 1990). Northern Australia has only a small patch of S. album in basalt region in the Hughendon-Cloncurry area (Statham, 1990). Almost all sandalwood oil in India is produced from wild sources. The methods of extraction are destructive, entailing the uprooting of trees. Only mature trees of between 30 and 50 years form heartwood and younger trees are not harvested. It is believed that spike disease poses a more serious threat in India than overexploitation (Green, 1995). In Indonesia continuous harvesting combined with very little regeneration because of fires, shifting cultivation and cattle grazing, has led to serious declines in wild populations (Green, 1995). Regeneration S. album regenerates vegetatively with root suckers and by coppicing when the plant is juvenile (USDA, 1990). It begins to flower at 3 years of age and starts producing viable seeds at about 5 years. Role of species in the ecosystem Sandalwood is a hemi root parasitic tree and requires a host plant (can parasitise over 300 species including itself) for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (USDA, 1990). Birds are necessary for efficient seed dispersal (USDA, 1990). Threats Fire and grazing are threats because they have a detrimental affect on regeneration (USDA, 1990). There is much concern regarding over-exploitation due to smuggling for trade. Utilisation The timber is used for fine furniture, carving and turnery. Oil is extracted from the heartwood and is in high demand for incense, perfumery and medicines. It is also valuable as a fixative for other fragrances. Trade The price of Sandalwood in India increased from RS 20,000 per tonne in 1980 to RS 200,000 per tonne in 1990. "Smuggling has assumed alarming proportions." The total annual production in India is about 1800 tonnes (Chadha, 1989). India uses all S. album domestically and export is prohibited (USDA, 1990). Major exporters of top quality logs are Hawai'i, Fiji, Indonesia and Western Australia. The main world supplier of sandalwood chips and powder for incense is Australia, limited quantities are exported from India (USDA, 1990). Good quality logs in India sold domestically went for an average price of US$4,590/tonne in 1987 and US$9,410/tonne in 1990 (USDA, 1990).Under the Indonesian Government, sandalwood was exported during the first and second Five Year Plans. Since then, sandalwood oil and handicrafts have become more important. In 1994 an export tax was imposed on sandalwood chips, powder and roots to encourage local sandalwood handicrafts (Monk, de Fretes and Reksodiharjo-Lilley, 1997). Smuggling of sandalwood into East Timor has been reported (Monk, de Fretes and Reksodiharjo-Lilley, 1997). Demand for sandalwood oil fell in the 1970s as a result of high prices and competition from synthetic substances. This mostly affected the cheaper-grade formulations and the natural oil has retained its price. Demand is now influenced mostly by supply. USA and France are the two largest importers of Indian sandalwood oil. The market in the Soviet Union has collapsed and imports into the Middle East are increasing. IUCN Conservation category VU A1d (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). The Indian population is considered LR-nt (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). Conservation measures Export of timber from India is totally banned except for handicraft pieces of sandalwood up to 50g weight. FAO, 1984 notes that it is a priority species for in situ conservation. In East Nusa Tenggara felling of trees under 50 cm dbh is not permitted (Monk, de Fretes and Reksodiharjo-Lilley, 1997). Forest management and silviculture Sandalwood is light-demanding and can be easily suppressed by faster-growing species. Cultivation techniques now involve the use of Capsicum and Acacia villosa as host plants. In Indonesia, a 15 year programme of planting 30,000 ha of sandalwood was scheduled to start in 1990 through Perum Perhutani (HTIs), the Forestry Service, and social forestry programmes (Monk, de Fretes and Reksodiharjo-Lilley, 1997). Cultivation of sandal in India has had limited success. Sandal trees freely produce seed and natural regeneration occurs both via seedlings and through root suckers after trees have been uprooted and the stump removed from the ground (Green, 1995). Trees of 100cm girth are reported to yield between 84 and 240kg of heartwood. Yield of oil is highest from the roots and lowest from wood chips. The cultivation or planting of sandal as a short- or medium-term source of income is unattractive because the oil is only obtained from the heartwood of mature trees and the tree is slow growing (Green, 1995). References Asia Regional Workshop, 1997. Conservation and sustainable management of trees project workshop held in Hanoi, VietNam, August, 1997 Chada, 1989 FAO. 1984. Report of the Fifth Session of the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources Information No 14:32-49. Monk, K.A., de Fretes, Y. and Reksodiharjo-Lilley, G. (1997) The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. Oxford University Press. USDA. 1990. Proceedings of the symposium on Sandalwood in the Pacific. April 9-11, 1990, Honolulu, Hawaii. WCMC. 1991. Provision of Data on Rare and Threatened Tropical Timber Species. pp. 58.
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