“There are many forest plantations in the North. We instead can turn to them to respond to the order for 5,000 teak logs for the new Parliament complex,” FIO director Pipat Chaninthayutthawong said yesterday.

The contractor wants trunks that are larger than eight inches in diameter.

“That means the teak logs have to be 25 to 30 years old and have a circumference of more than 120 centimetres,” he said.

The FIO will look for trees that match the specifications at its farms in Sukhothai, Phrae and Lampang provinces, as it was the organisation’s main duty to supply wood for the market.

“Every year the FIO provides about 60,000 to 70,000 cubic metres of lumber from its forestry plantations,” he said.

The FIO’s move to procure teakwood has whipped up a storm of criticism, after it apparently targeted the Khun Mae Kuang Forest Reserve. Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd tried to downplay the controversy by saying the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry had already been instructed to ensure that teak trees in the forest reserve remain untouched.

“Actually, those teak trees are in a man-made forest zone. But we will make sure that they become a part of the forest reserve,” he said.

He also dismissed widespread rumours that senior figures wanted the big teak trees from the man-made forest, Suan Pa Hor Mae Phra, in Chiang Mai‘s Doi Saket district.

Although the FIO had managed the forest zone for decades, its licence expired last year.

“It’s still in the process of renewing its licence. But that won’t happen if locals don’t give their approval,” he said.

The FIO would be compensated if it lost its licence, as the man-made forest would be transferred to the Royal Forest Department, he added.