Clare Ann Harris, age 13, of Freeport, Ill., for her question:

WHERE DO WE GET SANDALWOOD?

Sandalwood is a fine grained, fragrant wood that comes from the sandalwood tree. It is found primarily in India and China.

Sandalwood is used for making fans, carved boxes and other ornamental items. It also is ground and made into incense that is used at Buddhist religious meetings. In addition, sandalwood oil is used in making soma perfumes.

There are actually about 400 different species of sandalwood trees.

When a slow growing sandalwood tree is about 20 years old, its trunk is only about one foot in diameter and the tree stands about 15 feet tall. It is then cut down and allowed to remain on the ground. Ants eat the useless outer sapwood and leave the fragrant inner wood untouched. Later this wood is harvested by being sawed into small pieces and dried slowly to preserve its fragrance.

The sandalwood is an evergreen. Its flowers are like the fruit tree's.