Why!!

[Mud Dog]

When there are so few trees, why cut down a majestic 800yr plus Baobab, especially since the species is not so prolific! Baffles me!

Africans do things SLIGHTLY differently

A Guy cutting Baobab Tree in TETE Mozambique

bao1.jpg (52.09 KiB) Viewed 1389 times

He'd better be able to move bloody fast if he hears any creaking!

[Frederick]

Ek dink hy gaan sy g@t sien binnekort....van naby....

[Grumbles]

Fred.... jy meen seker ons HOOP hy gaan sy G@T sien binnekort!

[GI Jane]

It breaks my heart to see that magnificent tree being chopped done. But one of the biggest issues in life, is that we see things from so many different perspectives. Some of us see a majestic 800 year old tree and then others people see it as a source of fire wood and possibly a source of income for a family. Very sad but unfortunately true.

[pietpetoors]

Is Baobab wood any useful for firewood? is daai hout nie sag en hol nie?

[Bosfebok]

Daai boom gaat hom insluk!! Kannie wag vir daai foto's nie.

[Mud Dog]

Pieter I've never seen any deeper than the bark of the tree and I've never really paid any attention to the dried bits that have fallen to the ground, so I wouldn't know. My guess is that it would be lightweight,soft and fibrous once dried out, so I don't see much firewood benefit there.


Found this on Wikki .....

Uses

Since 2008, there has been increasing interest for developing baobab seeds or dried fruit powder for consumer products.[9][10] As of 2010, the potential international market was estimated at $1 billion per year.[11]

Some species are also sources of fiber, dye, and fuel. Indigenous Australians used the native species A. gregorii for several products, making string from the root fibers and decorative crafts from the fruits. The fresh fruit is said to taste like sherbet.[12] A large, hollow baobab south of Derby, Western Australia, was used in the 1890s as a prison for convicts on their way to Derby for sentencing. The Boab Prison Tree, Derby, still stands and is now a tourist attraction.[13]

The leaves of A. digitata are eaten as a leaf vegetable.[6] The seeds of some species are a source of vegetable oil.[14][15]

The fruit has a velvety shell and is about the size of a coconut,[11] weighing about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb). It has an acidic, tart flavor, described as "somewhere between grapefruit, pear, and vanilla".[11][16]

The dried fruit powder of A. digitata contains about 12% water and various nutrients, including carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, potassium and iron.[16][17][18][19]

In Zimbabwe, the fruit is used in traditional food preparations which include "eating the fruit fresh or crushed crumbly pulp to stir into porridge and drinks".[11] Malawi women have set up commercial ventures harvesting the baobab to earn their children's school fees.[11]

In the European Union (EU) prior to commercial approval, baobab fruit powder was not available for ingredient uses, as legislation from 1997 dictated that foods not commonly consumed in the EU would have to be formally approved first. In 2008, baobab dried fruit pulp was authorized in the EU as a safe food ingredient,[20] and it was later granted GRAS status in the United States.[21]
Food uses

The powdery white interior may be used as a "thickener in jams and gravies, a sweetener for fruit drinks, or a tangy flavor addition to hot sauces."[11][18] The fruit pulp and seeds of A. grandidieri[14] and A. za are eaten fresh.[15] In Tanzania, the dry pulp of A. digitata is added to sugar cane to aid fermentation in beermaking.[22] The flavor of limited-release Japanese soda Pepsi Baobab was described as "liberating" by PepsiCo.[23]

[Thunder02]

truly sad

[GI Jane]

I think the kokerboom is the one that is hollow inside, but that tree the guy is chopping down looks pretty solid, so I imagine it is firewood for an entire village for a month or two, or will be sold on the side of the road for the many tourists travelling that way..... Anyway it is still a very sad sight, and even more so for the family of the man chopping the tree down, when it comes down on him...

[ThysdJ]

Looks like that tree is on a fenced in plot in an urban area...? Maybe they want to build something there.. It is sad that nature especially such fantastically old trees need to make way for urban sprawl.. :evil: :evil: :evil: Look at the centuries old Melkhout that was chopped down to make way for a hardware store in Durbanville...

[ChrisF]

Darwin at work ....


EASY to judge from this side of a computer in a nice and hot home with a full tummy ...



SAD to see the tree go, but I dont think we can pass judgment until we have lived from hand to mouth ....