Frankincense is not just for Christmas…
21 Dec 2012 by Evoluted New Media
Frankincense, the undeniable fragrance of Christmas, is in high demand but this means that many Boswellia papyrifera trees are being over-exploited and populations are at risk of dying out. However, a new study suggests a way of securing a future for these trees.
Frankincense is harvested by wounding the bark of the trees and collecting the resin that is released in a process known as tapping. Tapping is carried out at several places along the stem and the process uses a traditional tool that resembles a chisel.
Botanists from Ethiopia and the Netherlands have revealed the anatomy of the tree’s resin secretory system which may help to save them. The study was published in Annals of Botany.
Motuma Tolera, who lead the research explained: “In some areas, the high demand for frankincense is causing over-tapping, which is bad for a couple of reasons. Tapping the tree creates wounds in the stem that take resources to be healed, and more wounds create more opportunities for insects to attack the tree. It’s not a surprise that some trees die. This is bad for the tree but also for the people living in those areas, since they depend on the resin production, both economically and culturally.”
The botanists realised that one of the problems is the lack of knowledge surrounding the type, architecture and distributions of resin producing, storing and transporting structures in the tree, so set about trying to find out more.
The team identified a 3D network of inter-connected canals in the inner bark. Digital images of the thin sections across the different zones of inner bark were taken. From these, the scientist determined the diameter and density of axial resin canals in the different bark zones.
The results suggested that most of the canals are within a very narrow region of the inner bark: a zone that is less than 7 millimetres thick. The canals allow for transport of resin around the tree.
“Our results suggest that tapping can become more efficient. A cut that goes deeper, earlier in the tapping cycle may drain the resin more effectively. Since the 3D resin canal network may allow for long distance movement of resin when it is intact, this would be an option to reduce the number of cuts, and reduce the damage to the trees. New studies will be needed to show how such improvement may keep trees healthy but still productive for resin production. This opens new ways for a more sustainable frankincense production system” added Tolera.
