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The Demand
Some of the most beautiful and
sought-after woods in the world come from tropical rainforest trees. These increasingly
rare tropical hardwoods are highly prized for their outstanding beauty and good working
properties. To illustrate the high value of tropical hardwoods, teak sells for nearly four times the price of
black walnut, considered to be the finest hardwood grown in North America, and a single
teak log can now bring as much as $20,000.
Tropical hardwoods are consumed
extensively in the United States, Europe and Japan. The United States alone imported more
than $2 billion worth of tropical woods last year.
Color, uniqueness, figuring,
grain, finish and texture of these fine tropical hardwoods are decisive factors in their
selection and use in high quality furniture, beautiful cabinetry, decorative panels,
joinery, woodworking, quality interior trim, flooring, decorative veneers, and specialty items such as cutlery
handles, brush backs, and musical instruments. Examples of such beautiful and rare
tropical woods are bocote, Brazilian cherry, cocobolo, goncalo alves, idigbo, ipe, madero negro, mahogany, nargusta, peroba rosa. primavera, purpleheart, roble, Santa Maria, teak, trebol,
and wild tambran.
A field of 5 year old Nargusta trees on Campo Real
In addition to their outstanding
beauty, many tropical hardwoods also have unique characteristics such as durability,
resistance to rot, and maintaining dimensional stability while being exposed to weather
and moisture.
Teak is probably the best known
of the specialty tropical hardwoods. Because teak combines outstanding durability with
great beauty, it is in great demand throughout the world for quality furniture and trim
and decks for expensive boats.
World consumption of tropical
hardwoods has multiplied nearly 25 times in just the last four decades, to more than 100
billion board feet per year. The demand for tropical hardwoods continues to grow rapidly.
Where will these tropical
hardwoods come from?
next page - The Supply
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