Religion News Service
LONDON, ENGLAND, December 14, 2006: The production of frankincense — used in Catholic, Orthodox and many Anglican service — is threatened by extracting too much of the precious substance from the trees that produce it, according to a study by Dutch and Eritrean scientists and published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Frankincense is a resin produced by trees of the genus Boswellia, found mainly in Oman, Yemen and the Horn of Africa. (HPI note: The related boswellia serrata tree is native to hilly regions of India and is used in Ayurveda medicine and as incense. See http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_library/boswellia.asp.) It is obtained by cutting the bark of the tree and leaving the resin to solidify into small lumps, which are harvested every three weeks when the cuts are reopened to ensure a steady flow of the resin. The harvested incense costs between $22 and $26 a pound. The study, conducted in Eritrea, found that repeated tapping of the trees to produce incense threatens the trees’ ability to reproduce. “Despite its economic importance, Boswellia papyrifera (the species found in Eritrea) is a threatened species in Eritrea,” the authors write. “The natural Boswellia woodlands have been and are being converted into agricultural fields, while low production of viable seeds, uncontrolled livestock grazing and recurrent droughts hinder the natural regeneration in the remaining stands.” They suggest reducing the number of points where the bark is cut from the current six; allowing trees to rest for periods of four years without being tapped for resin; and banning livestock grazing to allow young trees to grow.