Why you shouldn’t be put off buying tropical hardwoods

Go back thirty or forty years, and most people in the UK would not have cared about where the wood they were buying was sourced from; they would have simply gone out and bought the timber they needed at the nearest builders’ merchant.

That, thankfully, is no longer the case. Nowadays, many people are genuinely concerned about the origin of the timber they purchase and have become more informed and educated about their impact on the planet.

We know that trees and forests are essential for our survival and that we must take steps to preserve our forests to protect our planet. That change in attitude is in no small part because of the efforts of non-governmental environmental organisations, the most well-known of which is Greenpeace.

Greenpeace has been raising awareness of environmental issues since the late 1960s and now has offices in over 40 countries worldwide. Although they have done an incredible job campaigning against issues such as climate change, deforestation and overfishing, one of the unintentional side effects of their deforestation campaigns has been to scare people away from using all tropical hardwoods. We are here to let you know that it does not have to be the case. Choosing sustainable tropical hardwoods from independently certified sustainable sources does not cause deforestation. In fact, continuing to purchase certified sustainable timber can actually help the world’s rainforests.

In this guide, we will take a look at why that is the case, along with top tips for how to buy sustainable tropical hardwoods.

What are hardwoods?

There are two main types of timber – hardwoods and softwoods. The naming unsurprisingly tends to cause much confusion, because hardwoods are not necessarily hard, and softwoods are not necessarily soft. Balsa wood, for example, well known for being used to make model aeroplanes and for being very light and soft, is in fact a hardwood, whereas Yew, the large trees which grow in churchyards, are very dense, heavy and durable, but is in fact a softwood.

Softwoods are not always evergreens, either, despite the myths. The easiest way to tell a softwood and a hardwood tree apart is to look at their seeds. Softwoods, which are generally conifers (in the shape of a cone), have seeds that are not covered, such as a pine cone. With hardwoods, the seeds are generally covered and protected, such as apples or acorns.

Some of our most popular sustainable hardwoods include Greenheart, Iroko, Ekki and, of course, Oak. We supply these for a range of products, including decking and cladding.

Why are the rainforests full of tropical hardwood?

Softwoods are actually far older than hardwoods. In rainforests, though, hardwoods found the ideal conditions to multiply. They pollinate using multiple methods, including wind, insects and animals, so their seeds spread more quickly and easily than softwood seeds. As a consequence, hardwoods – such as Ekki and Opepe – pushed softwoods out of the tropics, leading to most trees in the tropics now being hardwoods.  

Where are the tropics?

When people think of the tropics, they often imagine vague areas with hot climates and lots of humidity. While these conditions do fit the bill, the tropics are actually a more specific geographic area which surrounds the equator, going from the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere to the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere.

The tropics make up 36% of the Earth’s landmass and are home to 40% of the world’s population. They encompass much of Mexico, all Central America and the Caribbean, a large part of South America (most notably Brazil), Central, East and West Africa, South East Asia, northern Australia and much of India. In other words? We are talking about a pretty huge stretch of land.

Is hardwood from the tropics unsustainable?

Many countries in the tropics tend to be developing rather than developed, and it is easy to associate tropical hardwoods with corruption and deforestation. There is good reason for this notion, as a lot of illegal logging and deforestation does occur in the tropics. When environmentally-conscious people hear this, they tend to start shunning tropical hardwoods to avoid plundering the Amazon rainforest. While their intentions are great, this is not actually an action which needs to be taken.

Not all hardwood timber from the tropics is unsustainable. The easiest way to tell if your timber is helping or hurting the rainforests is to look for the FSC certification. If you spot this, then your hardwood tropical timber is playing an important role in protecting the forest and is key to sustainable forestry.

What is the FSC?

FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. It is an independent, non-profit organisation which exists to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. They ensure that the timber they certify comes from a forest which is sustainably managed (the process of harvesting the timber does not damage its environment). Their independent certification system is recognised and used around the world.

How does the FSC make forestry sustainable?

An FSC certified forest follows key principles outlined by the FSC to ensure its methods of selecting and cutting trees are sustainable. These areas will be managed by forest stewards, who work to protect the natural landscape and ensure it continues to thrive, while maintaining a steady supply of timber. They take a long-term approach to forestry, ensuring that the rainforest is alive and protected for future generations.

When you buy timber products with the FSC logo, you are supporting those sustainable forests and helping them to continue to be economically viable. As long as they are making money, these areas will continue to be protected by the FSC.

What is the alternative to sustainable timber?

Sadly, the vast amount of timber harvested from the tropics is not sustainable. Uncertified timber has often been sourced from land which is burnt or completely felled for cattle pasture and large scale agriculture, leaving it unable to recover naturally. This is why the EU has launched a new initiative, the EUDR.

With illegal and unsustainable deforestation tend to come other issues, such as human rights abuses, the hunting of endangered animals and the risk to the habitats of both indigenous peoples and wild animals. This is why it is so vital that you only choose FSC certified hardwood timber for your projects.

Who are EcoChoice?

EcoChoice is a specialist supplier of certified timber products. We were formed in 2005 with the aim of promoting FSC-certified tropical hardwoods to the UK construction industry, helping customers find sustainable timber easily.

We offer products from a wide range of sustainably sourced timber species, including Balau, Ipe, Cumaru and Iroko. We are passionate about supplying our clients with independently certified timber products while encouraging responsible and sustainable practices at the source level. To find out how we can help you, please call us on 0345 638 1340 or email us at info@ecochoice.co.uk.

Reach out today for sustainable hardwood timber.