Using Wild Woods Conserves World's Forests

Lesser-known certified wood species offer environmental benefits and new choices for architects, designers, and manufacturers.

by Peter Nowack

Theres a lot more to the worlds forests than oak, rosewood, mahogany, and teak. While these durable, dependable wood species have been the focus of furniture, flooring, and cabinet makers for centuries, the state of the worlds forests today challenges the wisdom of continued dependence on just a few classic species. Once-abundant species (including mahogany and rosewood) are in dramatic decline, and dozens of other species are listed as threatened or endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). To make matters worse, the irresponsible, illegal, and inefficient practices that have used to bring these preferred woods to market have laid waste to millions of acres of forested land.

The good news is that a growing number of environmentally aware forest products operators, manufacturers, and architects are working to move their commercial, institutional and residential customers away from using only a handful of familiar woods species. Companies such as Precious Woods (based in Switzerland, with operations in Brazil and Costa Rica) are bringing to market lesser-known species (LKS) of tropical hardwoods that perform as well or better than their more-conventional counterparts. And these LKS hardwoods originate in forests that have been certified as being well-managed according to strict standards of environmental and social responsibility.

Certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) system Precious Woods LKS products are being used in high-profile applications the world over. Nikes European Headquarters features a bridge decked with durable, weather-resistant massaranduba, and Gibson Guitar Company manufactures a model of its famous Les Paul electric guitar from stunning muricatiara, otherwise known as tiger wood.

By actively marketing more than 40 species of lesser-known hardwoods, Precious Woods encourages consumption patterns that more closely matches the diversity of tropical forest resources. This alleviates pressure on species that are threatened with extinction from over-harvesting, enhances the economics of sustainable forest management by adding value to the full panoply of forest resources, and consequently reduces the need for incursion in to the forest to extract value

Precious Woods commitment to responsible forest management and the marketing of lesser-known species is also a testament to other landowners that a powerful economic incentive exists for keeping forest lands as forest lands, rather than deforesting them for to agriculture or industrial development. Landowners are more likely to keep forestlands intact if they have incentives to maintain them as a long-term source of revenue and employment.

But it is the marketplace that ultimately will determine whether there is sufficient reward for Precious Woods and other companies to maintain their commitments to responsible forest management and the use of LKS hardwoods.
Purchasers and specifiers of wood and wood products interested in promoting sustainable forest management can wield their influence through the application of two strategies.

First, it is essential to ensure that wood products originate in well-managed forests and that they have been harvested legally and responsibly. By preferencing wood and wood products bearing the FSC eco-label buyers and specifiers communicate to their vendors and suppliers that there is purchase-order value to trade in sustainable forest products.

Second, specifying, purchasing, and using a broader range of lumber grades can help drive the forest product industry toward sustainability. Using only clear or near-clear wood for value-added products creates excessive demand for only a very small percentage of the available wood fiber in the forest. Specifying a wider range of grades extends the forest resource and enhances design value by bring to market more of the unique beauty that each tree exhibits though color variations and knot patterns.

Whats available?
The palette of available lesser-known species is broad and is constantly growing as designers and purchasers embrace more ecologically responsible alternative woods. Alternative woods can be found in all forest types, with the greatest opportunities found among tropical species.

Following is a small sampling of the many certified tropical species available.

Angico (Anadenanthera colubrina)
Angico heartwood is pale brown, but darkens to a reddish brown with darker colored, almost black, streaks, contrasting nicely with the yellow brown or light pink sapwood. The grain is irregular and interlocked, while its texture is fine and uniform. Excellent for outdoor applications due to its density, durability and rot resistance. It is preferred for flooring and turnery.


Arariba (Centrolobium microchaete)
Also known as Canarywood, Arariba is yellow to orange with streaks of red, purple and black. This medium-textured wood is excellent for furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and interior applications.


Cancharana (Cabralea canjerana)
Cancharana is easy to work and finishes smoothly. Its heartwood varies from red to maroon, while its sapwood is pink. Somewhat brittle, its medium-course grain texture can be either straight or wavy. Cancharana is suitable for interior and exterior construction, joinery, and fine furniture.


Chakte Kok (Sickingia salvadorencis) This wood is a vibrant, almost shocking, pinkish red with occasional brown streaking. Medium hard and dense with a fine, even grain, its color tends to fade to brown with exposure to sunlight. UV-light-inhibiting finish will slow this change.


Chechen (Metopium brownei)
This wood is quite hard, dense, and tight-grained. Chechens color ranges from amber to dark brown, often with a range of colors and contrasting streaks. Very rot-resistant, Chechen is excellent for furniture-making and a variety of other applications.


Curupau (Bolivian Rosewood) (Anadenanthera colubrina)
Curupau heartwood is chestnut brown with light streaks when first cut, and darkens to reddish brown with dark streaks after exposure to sunlight. Curupau sapwood is yellowish brown to light pink, and its interlocking grain is fine and uniform. Strong and highly resistant to decay, fungi and insects, Curupau is used in heavy construction, marine applications, flooring, outdoor furniture, and turnings.


Granadillo (Platymiscum yucatanum)
Granadillo runs the color spectrum from violet to dark red to brown with frequent streaking and pronounced figure. Its occasionally light-blonde sapwood contrasts beautifully with the heartwood. Very hard, heavy, and dense with a tight grain and a fine texture, Granadillo is often used in furniture and instrument making. It is an excellent substitute for Rosewood or Cocobolo.


Katalox (Swartzia cubensis) Violet when first sawn, Katalox’s heartwood oxidizes quickly to a deep purple-brown that contrasts dramatically with its creamy sapwood. Dense and somewhat brittle, katalox is a suitable substitute for Ebony.


Peroba (Aspidosperma polyneuron) Peroba ranges in color from rose-red to yellowish, w
ith little or no distinction between the heart and sapwood. The fine textured grain varies from straight to irregular. This handsome wood works moderately well, and finishes readily. Favored for fine furniture, cabinet work and decorative veneers, Peroba is also suitable for use in flooring, interior trim, sashes, doors, and turnery.


Tzalam (Lysiloma bahamenis)
The heartwood is lustrous brown with a coppery or purplish tinge, sometimes faintly striped, and is sharply demarcated from the thin white sapwood. Moderately hard and dense with a medium texture, Tzalam is easy to work, finishes smoothly, and takes a high natural polish. It is ideal for fine furniture and interior finish work.

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