BUY RAINFOREST-FRIENDLY FLOORING AND DECKING
step #47
“As each tree falls so does the earth’s ability to heal itself and to adapt to the effects of our changing climate.”
HILARY BENN
British Member
of Parliament
From what you drink to what’s under your feet, there are plenty of opportunities to help the rainforest. Are you planning on getting hardwood floors or adding a deck? If so, be sure you choose a rainforest-friendly type of wood.
THE SCOOP
The beauty and strength of tropical hardwoods unfortunately make them popular flooring for indoor and outdoor spaces. While cherry wood (also known as Jatobá) is the most commonly used tropical hardwood for indoor flooring, woods such as ipê, teak and mahogany are used for outdoor decking because of their natural resistance to weathering and mold. The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) estimates that a whopping 65 percent of imported flooring to the United States is made from tropical hardwoods.
The problem with the popularity of tropical flooring and decking is that the demand fuels logging operations throughout the tropics. And as we discussed in earlier chapters, logging is hugely destructive to rainforests both directly and indirectly. Moreover, in recent years, traceability for wood sourcing has become increasingly muddied through a complicated supply chain. For example, a majority of tropical flooring comes from China. Yet China buys its wood from multiple sources in Southeast Asian and Latin American countries, making the chain of custody virtually impossible to track. Hence, verification for any tropical hardwood products, especially decking and flooring, is critical to saving rainforests.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Choose rainforest-friendly flooring and decking!
Flooring
For your next hardwood flooring purchase, we recommend you consider one of these choices:
Of course, avoid any uncertified tropical wood flooring. Rainforest Relief names Lumber Liquidators, BR111, Bruce Hardwood from Armstrong, Mullican, Mohawk and Rare Earth Hardwoods as manufacturers that use wood from endangered tropical forests. There are many others. We suggest avoiding tropical wood flooring whether it’s certified or not.
Bamboo
Technically a grass, bamboo is a terrific renewable wood alternative for flooring. It matures in three years, regenerates without need for replanting and requires very little fertilizer or pesticide. However, there are issues around bamboo cultivation that have emerged as worldwide demand has surged. TreeHugger.com recently reported that in some areas, rainforest, shrubs and low-yield mixed plantations are being cleared to grow bamboo as a monoculture crop, and fertilizers are being used to increase yields. As rainforest areas are often hilly and mountainous, erosion is also becoming an issue with clearing. Bamboo grows like weeds, often taking over portions of logged-over forests and reducing biodiversity. Recognizing this problem, a company called Smith & Fong obtained the world’s first non-wood FSC certification for its bamboo resource in China. It’s sold under the name Plyboo. An excellent choice!
PLYBOO
Palmwood
Coconut trees are grown on plantations in Indonesia and other South Asian countries. After an average coconut production life of 60 to 70 years, the barren trees have traditionally been burned as waste. But now, these perfectly good trees are being used for attractive flooring and other uses. It’s an excellent eco-friendly alternative. Smith & Fong also manufactures palmwood flooring under the name Durapalm.
DURAPALM
Other eco-friendly alternatives include flooring made from the bark of the cork oak tree, mango wood flooring (made from barren mango trees) and recycled glass tile flooring. Do some research online. There’s a world of alternatives available to you.
Reclaimed Tropical Wood
There are many manufacturers now making flooring with reclaimed tropical hardwoods. The wood is reclaimed from structures—old buildings, boats, etc. With history and use, the wood has an original, rich character that cannot be duplicated with new wood. And because virgin wood is typically what was used to construct older building structures, reclaimed wood tends to be harder and stronger than the younger wood now used in new structures. The best part is not one new tree is felled for flooring made of reclaimed wood. Check out TerraMai.
TERRAMAI
FSC-certified Tropical Wood Flooring
If you absolutely love the look of tropical hardwood, you can choose flooring made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-Certified wood. The Rainforest Alliance created a great resource called A Smart Guide to Sustainable Furniture & FSC-Certified Products, which is a few years old but still extremely valuable in helping you find manufacturers and distributors of FSC-certified flooring, furniture, decking and building materials. It’s comprehensive and lists just about every dealer and manufacturer of eco-friendly flooring in the United States. It’s no longer available in hard copy, but you can still download it (see url at right). The dealers and manufacturers can put you in touch with local retailers.We also want to single out EcoTimber, one of the original pioneers of eco-friendly, reclaimed and FSC-certified wood flooring.
Decking
Our recommendations for decking are similar to flooring. Avoid decking made of uncertified tropical hardwood. Rainforest Relief names Ipe Depot, Advantage Trim & Lumber, Timber Holdings., Robinson Lumber Company, Thompson Mahogany and General Woodcraft as manufacturers that use wood from threatened tropical forests. Here are some rainforest-friendly decking alternatives to consider.
A SMART GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE FURNITURE & FSCRCERTIFIED PRODUCTS
www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/documents/smartguide_furniture.pdf
ECOTIMBER
FSC-Certified
FSC certification is the most stringent of all wood certifications. Whether you purchase a tropical hardwood or an alternative wood, be sure it is FSC-Certified or comes from nonthreatened forests.
Composite Decking
Composite decking products blend waste wood fiber and recycled plastics, adding in waxes, fiberglass and preservatives to form wood-like boards. Pretty cool stuff. A few popular manufacturers known for sustainable products and practices are Trex, Nexwood and TimberTech.
Plastic lumber made of high-density polyethylene resin— the same stuff milk jugs are made of—is another eco-friendly source for decking. Like composite lumber, it is workable with wood tools and is available in a variety of colors and textures. Manufacturers of plastic lumber vary in their use of postconsumer waste. Ideally, choose products that contain at least 50 percent post-consumer waste plastic.
Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is also excellent for decking. Check out East Teak Hardwoods, one of the first companies in the United States to offer FSC-certified, 100 percent recycled teak and rosewood. The company now also offers FSCcertified ipê and tigerwood. The Rainforest Alliance’s A Smart Guide to Sustainable Furniture & FSC-Certified Products is an excellent resource for decking too. Use it to find an FSCcertified wood or eco-friendly decking retailer near you.
RESOURCES
Smith & Fong Plyboo
www.plyboo.com
Smith & Fong Durapalm
www.durapalm.com
TerraMai
www.terramai.com
Forest Stewardship Council
www.fsc.org
A Smart Guide to Sustainable Furniture & FSC-Certified Products by the Rainforest Alliance
www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/documents/smartguide_furniture.pdf
Trex
www.trex.com
Nexwood
www.nexwoodnw.com
TimberTech
www.timbertech.com
East Teak Fine Hardwoods
www.eastteak.com
So tread in good conscience on your hardwood floors or decking knowing you caused no harm to the richest ecosystems on our beautiful planet!