Natural wounding induction refers to the method of stimulating agarwood formation by encouraging the tree to produce resin through natural injuries — without aggressive artificial drilling or chemical injection. It mimics how agarwood naturally forms in the wild.
How It Works:
Mechanical Stress:
- Light scratches, bark cuts, or minor surface wounds are made using knives, nails, or manual tools.
- Important: Not too deep — only enough to stress the tree lightly without killing tissue extensively.
Insect Attraction:
- These small wounds naturally attract insects like borers or ants, which create additional minor injuries as they burrow.
- Their activity introduces microorganisms (especially fungi) that trigger the tree’s defense response.
Natural Fungal Infection:
- Fungi (especially Fusarium, Phaeoacremonium, etc.) infect wounded areas.
- This biological stress prompts the Aquilaria tree to produce resin as a defense mechanism.
Gradual Resin Accumulation:
- Over months to years, the tree gradually deposits resin around the wounded and infected areas, forming agarwood.
- The process is slower but tends to produce high-quality, deeply-resinated wood.
Advantages of Natural Wounding:
- More authentic, traditional agarwood quality (similar to wild agarwood).
- Higher market value due to natural resin characteristics.
- Environmentally friendly — minimal use of chemicals.
- Sustainable — doesn’t overly stress or kill the tree.
Typical Techniques Used:
| Technique | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bark Scraping | Light scraping of bark to expose cambium layers. | Use of knives or blades manually. |
| Nail Insertion | Inserting small nails (sometimes with fungal spores). | Slow stress over months. |
| Animal Bite Mimicking | Creating wounds that mimic insect or animal bites. | Small punch holes. |
| Natural Breaks | Letting branches naturally snap during storms/winds. | Wild forest simulation. |