Thuya

The thuya comes from Morocco. The color is golden brown to red, highly figured with

small eye clusters of tight burls. Moderately hard and heavy. Aromatic smell. It works

well with tools and polishes to a fine luste is relatively rare.

The Thuya tree is a short scrub-like conifer indigenous to Morocco. The exceptional natural patterns in the grain are only found in the root of the tree. This wood has been coveted since Roman times and in modern times extracts from the tree are used in both homeopathy and aromatherapy. Thuya trees are constantly being replanted. 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. 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.