Sandalwood

Sandalwood is a type of wood coming from the Santalum genus of plants. The woods are heavy, golden, and fine-grained, and they hold their fragrance for decades, unlike many other aromatic kinds of wood. For use, sandalwood oil is produced from the woods. Sandalwood is frequently referred to as one of the world's most expensive woods. Both the wood and the oil give out a distinct scent that has been highly prized for generations. As a result, some of these slow-growing tree species have been over-harvested in the past.

Sandalwood is more expensive than other types of wood, thus instead of chopping it down at the trunk close to ground level, the entire tree is removed to maximize profit. This allows for the processing and sale of wood from the stump and root, which contains significant levels of sandalwood oil.

The majority of Australian sandalwood is harvested and sold in log form, with heartwood content evaluated. The white sapwood of this species is unique in that it does not need to be removed before the oil can be distilled. The logs are either distilled for essential oil or ground into powder for incense manufacturing. The sapwood must be removed before distillation of Indian sandalwood, which is mostly utilized for oil extraction. Sandalwood oil from Australia costs roughly US$1,500 per kilogram in 2020, but Indian Sandalwood oil costs around US$2,500 per kilogram due to its greater alpha santalol content.