In Thailand, rubber trees have become an important resource, and a key export bound for Nankang, China. The tree is a vital part of the Thai economy, but as CGTN's Tony Cheng reports, locals have been able to maintain a sustainable life cycle for the tree.

In the lush green jungle of southern Thailand, a small clearing opens up. Loggers fell mature trees in a rubber plantation. The small branches are removed for chipboard. The large logs cut up to be processed into timber. And these have to be mature trees, no longer able to produce the milky rubber sap.

KUSUL, LOGGING FOREMAN THIPMETHA TIMBER CO. "We consider the time to cut according to the age of the rubber tree. It must be over 15 years old, otherwise it's too young."

It is a remarkably sustainable life cycle for the rubber tree that is grown all across Thailand and is now serving a dual role in Thailands export economy.

TONY CHENGTRANG PROVINCE, THAILAND "These rubber trees serve an incredibly useful life for 30 years they're milked for their sap, which is used to make rubber, a vitally important part of the Thai economy. But that's not the end of it. The trees are then chopped up, processed and sent to China where they're used to make furniture."

Just down the road, the logs are unloaded at the lumber yard. This is one of the largest in the province, and ninety percent of the wood it processes is bound for NanKang in China. But before it can be dispatched it must be cut and treated. The hefty logs are rolled onto place to be cut by an enormous band saw. Two Burmese carpenters expertly carve the log from its natural state, slicing off the rough edges and cutting it down into a uniform pile of equal sized planks. The next part of the process is to temper the cut planks. Pallets of timber are stacked on a track. When ready, they're rolled into a long pressurized container where they're soaked in insecticide under intense pressure. This is just one of the new quality control measures instituted since the owners visited Nan Kang last year, in an effort to better serve their principal customers.

PRACHA NGAMRATTANAKUL THIPMETHA TIMBER CO. "Because of the strong potential of the furniture industry in China, it makes them the most important market for exporters of rubber wood in Thailand."

The final part of the process is baking the processed planks. The timber is stacked in huge ovens, then baked for 4 days, a process that mimics the ageing of timber that used to take years. The business is now worth more than a billion dollars a year, sustainable timber, part of the huge supply chain, linking South East Asia and China, Tony Cheng CGTN Trang Province Southern Thailand.