An estimated 3000-year-old, three-tonne log has been discovered deep in a Tasmanian forest, with the item expected to fetch a whopping $120-$140,000 by the time it is crafted into furniture and other parts. Due to this scarcity, the three-tonne remains of the Huon pine are believed to have set the record for the most expensive log in the country according to Pulse Tasmania. Sources: Yahoo News, Pulse Tasmania
Bronte Booth, the managing director of Timber World who is milling the log on behalf of its current owner, said the salvaged log of Huon pine is one of only a small amount left – its rarity contributing to its immense price.
Speaking to 7 Tasmania News, Mr Booth said the pine’s new owners paid around $21,000.
“It’s a beautiful timber and it has some really nice properties … it’s durable and it’s also ancient,” he said.
“But it’s priceless really because it takes so long to grow.”
On the west coast of Tasmania along the King River, Huon pine, which has been around for at least 100 million years, was once harvested commercially in the early 1800s. According to Mr Booth, the piners would chop the ancient trees down and leave the tops and stumps behind due to them being too heavy for horses to take. These leftover parts have since been salvaged over recent years, with numbers dwindling.
The tops and stumps of Huon pine have been found by timber specialists half-buried in the ground along the forest floor near Teepookana plateau and floating in bays since the early harvesting ended, though slowly there are fewer and fewer to be found.
“Recently, it’s been exhausted and there are only about eight log trucks left,” Mr Booth said.
Due to this scarcity, the three-tonne remains of the Huon pine are believed to have set the record for the most expensive log in the country according to Pulse Tasmania.
The tops and stumps of Huon pine have been found by timber specialists half-buried in the ground along the forest floor near Teepookana plateau and floating in bays since the early harvesting ended, though slowly there are fewer and fewer to be found.
“Recently, it’s been exhausted and there are only about eight log trucks left,” Mr Booth said.
