http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45744432

Trees that produce frankincense, a fragrant resin used in incense and perfumes and a central part of the Christmas story, are declining so fast that production could be halved over the next 15 years, scientists said on Wednesday. In a study published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, ecologists from the Netherlands and Ethiopia looked at large-scale field studies and predicted that tree numbers could decline by 90 percent in the next 50 years.If fire, grazing and insect attack, the most likely causes of decline, remain unchecked, then frankincense production could be doomed altogether, they warned.
 
Frankincense, best known in religious teachings as one of the gifts laid before the newborn Messiah, is obtained by tapping various species of Boswellia, a small, deciduous tree that grows across Africa from northern Nigeria to the highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea.Cutting the Boswellia's bark produces the frankincense resin, a white substance with a strong, sweet smell. The resin is burnt in churches, mosques and at ceremonies, as well as being used by the perfume industry and in herbal medicines.
 
Despite its economic importance, incense has been traded internationally for thousands of years, little is known about how tapping affects Boswellia populations. Working in an isolated part of northwest Ethiopia near the source of the Blue Nile, a research team led by Frans Bongers of Wageningen University in the Netherlands studied 13 two-hectare plots, some where trees were tapped for frankincense and some where they were untapped.Over two years, they monitored survival, growth and seed production of more than 6,000 Boswellia trees and used the data to build mathematical models to predict the fate of Boswellia populations in coming years. The forecasts suggest Boswellia populations are declining so dramatically that frankincense production could be halved in the next 15 years.

...more article at the link....

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That is horrible and I pray they are wrong.

Frankincense, one of the most noble aromas made by God.

The bee die-off is horrible also, but I tell myself the bad guys stole them and moved to South America.

I know we are not supposed to dwell on the End Times, but this type of news makes one go, Hmmm.

Poor Ethipopia!  

If it grows across North Africa then I would think it would grow here and in Florida and in some places in the Southwest.

Sounds like a good long term crop to me!  

Not exactly Florida, as it needs a rather dry climate in high altitudes. The problem seems to be the overexploitation, so at least it is not a disease of some sort, which could be worrying.

I actually heard about this on NPR last night, actually a very good story.

Here's an image of what the trees look like from overharvesting/ pests:


But there's good news- they're modifying the trees to be able to become more hardy and supposedly bringing the genetically modified trees to the US for growth.

You can actually buy your own tree from this guy:

Jason Eslamieh runs a greenhouse in Arizona. He's tinkering with tougher boswellia trees that can stand up to climate change, and grow in the U.S.

Jason Eslamieh: With a little bit of care and understanding, one can definitely commercialize frankincense.

He can sell you a starter plant on eBay.

Eslamieh: Costs about $55.

Or a full-grown tree, ready to tap for frankincense. That's $1,500.

CathSam- You were on to something there eh?!

Click "HERE" to listen to the story while you browse the web  

Thats what I meant to say lol

Forgive me for the erroneous post.

Oh, almost forgot, I read a bit more about this yesterday after posting my question, and the reason doesn't seem conspiratorial, it sounds like there are just vastly more profitable crops to replace them with.