Tropical timber is an incredibly rich, varied resource and many feel its full market and application potential is only starting to be realised.
It covers the range; from species ideal for joinery and interior decorative use, to incredibly dense, tough and durable varieties, which can last for decades unprotected in the harshest exterior environments, even direct water exposure in marine applications.
Building for the future
Tropical timber is also employed extensively in European bridge building and increased use in more ambitious, demanding structural applications is now seen as a real possibility.
Timber-based construction is growing worldwide, driven by demand for low environmental impact, low and no carbon, sustainable housing and commercial projects; so-called ‘green building’.
At the same time, there’s a growing view that hardwood, and tropical hardwood especially, is an under-utilised construction resource, particularly with the development of increasingly highly specified ‘engineered’ hardwood products.
Promotional Species
Natural forests can include hundreds of species and sustainable forest management involves making the most of this variety. By shaping demand around the full range of species natural forests can produce sustainably reduces the threat of over-exploitation of well-known varieties. Also referred to as lesser used or lesser known, STTC calls these “Promotional Species”. They can be a valuable addition to a business’s current timber species palette and also a substitute for better-known species , matching their performance and aesthetics.
Promotional Species can also be more cost effective as they are generally underutilized. Their often rich and truly exotic colours and textures can provide new design inspiration for homeowners, architects and designers. And their use can also increase the economic viability of sustainable forest management.
Click links below to see latest tropical timber applications, or go to: www.lesserknowntimberspecies.com
