Vesi (Fiji) Pacific Teak (English)

Big tree, up to 50 m tall, with a highly buttressed trunk. Compound leaves. Inhabits mangrove forests. The tree’s timber is a very durable and termite-resistant wood, making it a highly valued material. The wood can also be used to extract a dye.

Native to the Indo-Pacific. Today, it ranges from Tanzania and Madagascar through India and Australia to the Pacific Islands of Fiji and Samoa.

According to Greenpeace, large amounts of the timber sourced from illegal logging is being imported into China where are lax import rules. At the current rate of logging, the tree will be wiped out within 35 years.