SEVERAL wild incense trees, or aquilaria sinensis, on Wutong Moutain have been illegally felled and destroyed, according to a Shenzhen Evening News report over the weekend.

Following a tip-off provided by a resident who often hikes on the mountain, a reporter with the News visited the area on the mountain and found five wild incense trees had been deliberately felled.

The trees were growing on a small hill to the north of the Lianhua ranger station on Wutong Mountain, southeast of Donghu Reservoir. The reporter accessed the mountain through a dirt road to the right of the Donghu greenway. There are no paved roads to the area.

The reporter found the first affected incense tree near the peak of the mountain. The tree had been about 1.2 meters high, with a trunk of a diameter of about 20 centimeters. Cut marks can be seen on the stump and the tree trunk was on the ground beside the stump.

The reporter continued northeast and found four other trees that had also been felled.

Additionally, the status of the trees indicated that the cutting had taken place a long time ago, and most of the stumps had sprouted new trees.

Zhang Shouzhou, deputy director of the administrative office of Fairy Lake Botanical Garden in Luohu District, confirmed the trees are wild incense trees after seeing pictures provided by the reporter.

Last month, two national second-class protected plants were found destroyed near the Fengmulang Reservoir and the Xiangche Reservoir in Dapeng New Area.

According to Liu Lei, a popular science volunteer, full-grown incense trees are now rarely seen because they have been under serious threat in recent years due to their high value. Incense trees were recognized as national second-class protected plants in 1999. (Wang Jingli)