Money grows on trees for senior citizen
BALING: Decades old wood of trees lying idle in hill and jungle areas are capable of bringing in profits.
Senior citizen Abd Rahman Mahmod from Kampung Keda Keledang Tawar is able to do just that.
He generates income by buying and selling timber stumps to be used as interior decorations, for the home, yards and business premises.
Abd Rahman, 78, said the stumps and tree cores collected from woodcutters were a side income for him and his family if he could not tap rubber, especially during the mon soon season.
He said the stumps and cores he sold were from hardwood species in Malaysia, which does not rot such as Bayam Badak, Merbau, Cengal Emas, Tempinis, Kayu Jentik and Sarsi.
More than 300 stumps and cores have been collected by Abd Rahman in his shop since 2006 and he aspires to expand the business due to rising demand.
He offers these for prices from as low as RM10 each for a small stump and core to be used, for example, to prop up forest orchids. The highest price ever sold was for a Merbau stump at RM1,500.
Abd Rahman said the prices were based on the shapes of the stumps, in addition to the sizes.
“Enthusiasts are attracted by the natural shapes of the tree stumps and cores.
“The veins and carvings on the old wood stumps and cores, which are caused by erosion over a period of time, are often beautiful and artful.
“Enthusiasts get excited over them and don’t question the prices,” he said.