If you’re looking to sell your tree, knowing its true worth can help you get the best price possible. We’ve rounded up some of the most expensive trees in the world, from the rarest to the most common.
The ebony tree is one of the most valuable in the world, thanks to its difficulty to work with and scarcity. Its hardness makes it a popular material for musical instruments and furniture.
Ebony
Ebony is a dense type of hardwood that comes from several species of trees in the genus Diospyros. It is a highly durable wood with a high polish, making it highly prized for its aesthetic appeal.
It is a heavy, almost black-colored wood used for thousands of years by Tree Removal Cary NC, for musical instruments, furniture, canes, and other ornaments. It is also an excellent choice for turning and carving, especially when it is sanded down to a smooth finish.
Because of its unique coloring and texture, ebony is one of the most expensive woods in the world. Buying an authentic piece can be difficult, and some craftspeople make do with imitations to save money.
Sandalwood
A rich and complex oil, sandalwood has long been used for perfume, incense, and religious purification. Today, sandalwood is so highly prized that it is referred to as “liquid gold.”
The price of sandalwood has been skyrocketing in recent years, driven by its growing demand for religious and commercial uses. But it’s also driving up a spike in criminal activity, as gangsters and governments compete for the supply of sandalwood.
The Indian sandalwood tree, Santalum album, is slow to mature and can take up to 30 years to harvest. Nevertheless, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as endangered due to multiple illegal trades and overharvesting.
Pink Ivory
Pink ivory, Berchemia zeyheri, is a rare wood whose rarity was once called “rarer than diamonds.” It’s a highly sought-after wood for small decorative items such as pool cues, wine stoppers, and small boxes.
The wood’s fine grain, high density, and ability to take a high polish make it an excellent choice for ornamental turnings. The wood is also incredibly robust and decay-resistant.
This beautiful tree grows naturally in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It’s a drought-resistant, evergreen to semi-decidous tree that can reach 15 meters in height. Its fruit is an important food source for wild animals, including baboons, vervet monkeys and bushbabies. Birds, such as Black-eyed Bulbuls and Crested Barbets, also feed on the fruit. It’s an ecologically important species. It’s harvested for its wood and fruit in many rural areas, creating an income for local communities.
African Blackwood
African blackwood, also known as Mozambique ebony or Senegal ebony, is a rare, exotic wood native to Eastern Africa. It is an extremely hard, heavy, strong, and durable wood that comes with a dark brown or even purplish heartwood.
It is also a very stable, solid, and stiff wood with a fine texture. This makes it a good choice for custom pool cues, woodwind instruments, knife handles, and walking sticks.
However, this precious tree is becoming increasingly rare due to over-harvesting among users and poor conservation measures. This has resulted in a decline in the quality of traded timber. In some countries, including Kenya and Tanzania, ABW is now endangered. CITES regulations require all import, export, and re-export of ABW to be regulated. This will cost both importers and growers, but it is important for the protection of this beautiful tree.
Agar Wood
Agar wood is one of the most precious and sought-after trees in the world. Its resinous heartwood is highly valued for its medicinal, aromatic and religious uses.
This tree belongs to the genus Aquilaria and grows wild in Southeast Asia, particularly India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos. Agar trees are infected by fungus and release resinous heartwood that is dark and fragrant.
First-grade agar wood is extremely rare and expensive, costing as much as $100,000 per kilogram. The process of harvesting agar wood is painstaking and requires expertise. Once harvested, it is separated into chips that are used in incense and for perfume.
