Morocco Thuya Wood Carvers Facing Supply Crisis
Skilled Moroccan Craftsmen Need Tree Planting Schemes to Survive
Oct 27, 2009
The Atlas ranges of Morocco, home of Africa’s most northerly simian, the Barbary ape, have long been known for their majestic forests of cedar and walnut. Cedar in particular, from the Middle Atlas, was prized for its light colour, strength, scent and smoothness of grain. Traditionally it was used for large front doors, balconies, ceilings, carved screens and good quality furniture, so much so that forests became depleted, increasing erosion and the risk of landslides.
Controlled logging and replanting schemes have been introduced as a countermeasure, thus also ensuring future supplies and the survival of woodworking skills in the Atlas area. Walnut trees are also protected and cultivated, both for their fine wood swirled with black, brown and tan, and for walnuts, known locally as ‘brain fruit’ and sold in glass preserving jars.
Less well known, except to connoisseurs of rare woods, is thuya wood, (pronounced twee-ya). The thuya tree, Tetraclinis articulata, aka sandarac, or araar (Arabic), is native to Morocco where it grows only in the southern coastal forests near the Atlantic ports of Agadir and Essaouira. At first sight this short, scrubby conifer doesn’t look particularly promising as a source of rare wood, but appearances are deceptive.
How to Recognize Genuine Thuya Wood
The most prized wood is taken, not from the trunk or branches, but from burrs where the tree has been cut at the base (coppiced) to make new growth, and from surface roots. This produces very variable grain patterns, which means that no two pieces are the same.
- Its appearance is best described as somewhere between burr walnut and bird’s eye maple in its reddish-brown colour and darker markings.
- Thuya wood’s most distinctive features are random scatterings of small, dark knotty whorls or burls said to resemble birds' eyes, combined with highly variable swirl patterns.
- It is very dense, medium weight, hard to work and usually finished by hand.
- Carved objects, other than antiques, made from thuya wood tend to be small.
- Typical products include bowls, pen holders, paper weights, cubes, wooden puzzles, chess sets, boxes, or inlays and panels for larger pieces.
For most visitors to Morocco, the best place for a good choice of thuya wood objects at reasonable prices is probably Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, which is the nearest big outlet to the main producing villages. There are also numerous on line outlets which can be useful for pricing and comparison.
Other Uses for the Thuya Tree
- A pine-scented oil is extracted from the resin which is traditionally valued for skin complaints, and is now used in aromatherapy and homeopathy.
- The resin also yields lacquer and varnish, used locally by woodworkers.
- Thuya grows quickly in dry conditions, so is suitable for planting to prevent soil loss and desertification.
Thuya Wood for the Future
Until a decade ago, the future for thuya, its carvers and their landscape looked bleak. Trees were being over-cut or destroyed in the rush to produce thuya goods for the tourist and luxury overseas markets. Some woodworkers abandoned their villages and went to urban areas. Others reduced the size of the objects they produced and started replanting.
Fortunately, the Moroccan government, keen to slow urban drift, and wanting to preserve Berber workmanship and culture and protect the environment, has encouraged thuya replanting schemes. Finding the right balance between sustainability of resources and local incomes is clearly the key.
 |
 |
 |
 |
