Taiwan cunninghamia or Taiwan coffin fir

In the cool conifer forests of Thailand

Cunninghamia konishii can reach proportions greater than 40 m in height and 2 m wide. Attaining ages of about 800 years it is still not as long-lived as some other similar conifers. If disturbed, it will quickly multiply as the young plants tend to grow fast. The branches are held in horizontal whorls, red-brown in colour. The 3-4 cm long needles are spiralled around the twig and are sharply pointed. The wood is widely sort-after as the Taiwan fir grows rapidly to form a long, straight trunk that is resistant to wet conditions and termites. The wood is used in construction and shipbuilding (masts). Felled forests are sometimes rejuvenated through replanting but Cunninghamia lanceolata is than used as it grows faster.

Ecology and habitat

The Taiwan fir originates from the north and central part of Taiwan in cool to moderately cool conifer woods growing at altitudes between 900 and 2200 m and characterised by high rainfall (4000 mm per year). Only in the mid 1980s was the species discovered growing in a small and drier (about 1500 mm per year) area along the border between Laos and Vietnam. They grow mostly in inaccessible areas (slopes and cliff edges). In China this species has been cultivated for more than 800 years and so can be found more readily in the wild.

Threat

Prior to 1990 many of the woods in Taiwan were felled and replaced by more commercial species (often Cunninghamia lanceolata) leading to a massive reduction in the Taiwan fir. Any surviving native populations were fragmented and barely able to rejuvenate themselves. For species preservation, careful repopulation with individuals from within the region is essential. For a time this species was also extensively exploited in Vietnam; in Laos this is still continuing. In Taiwan and Vietnam populations of Taiwan fir growing in reserves are now protected and populations located outside the reserves are no longer to be exploited.