The intellectual heritage regarding botany is formed through the process of human observation, experience, and adaptation to the living environment, crystallizing in both the labor skills and the spiritual life of the community.
Each type of plant has its own specific use.
In the traditional life of the Co Tu people, the forest provides food, building materials, craft materials, and folk medicine. Remarkably, they possess the ability to identify and select specific tree species suitable for various purposes – from house construction and carving to pottery making.
These choices are the result of accumulated experience over many generations, passed down through observation, guidance, and direct practice. A 2024 study of Co Tu wood carving art by the Quang Nam Museum (now the Da Nang Museum, branch 2), through 232 surveys and inventories at 104 communal houses, shows a close connection between the craft and forest vegetation.