Deforestation of Ipe trees in the Brazilian rainforest

As you may have seen from our earlier blog post, Ipe and Cumaru have been on the endangered species discussion for the past few years. Now, after a 24 month waiting period, Ipe, Cumaru and other tropical hardwoods have been officially added to the CITES Appendix II list. Click here for the official release and details from November 25, 2024.

What does this Mean?

CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. If you aren’t familiar with CITES, it’s the international arbiter of endangered species worldwide. It maintains a set of Appendices (I, II, and III) which catalog various plant and animal species at risk of extinction. Species that are added to Level II are at greater risk of extinction unless tighter trade is implemented to enable their survival.

From an environmental standpoint, this means that the species that make up the trade names of “Ipe” and “Cumaru” are declining in numbers and the trade of those species will be subject to oversight and additional paperwork. With the slow growth rates and over-harvesting of these species, the populations have declined precipitously and there is no light at the end of the tunnel for them. This is a common pattern for tropical hardwoods over the past 100 years. We saw it with Mahogany and Teak, and now with Ipe and Cumaru. As a slow-growing tropical tree becomes popular, logging activity explodes, but the trees do not regrow quickly enough to sustain the demand (some don’t regrow at all), and then it becomes necessary for CITES to step in to prevent full-blown extinction. 

What are the Alternatives to Look At?

In North America, most hardwood species are fast growing and re-growth occurs organically. Two of those hardwood species are Black Locust and Sassafras and both are naturally rot resistant and durable. From an environmental standpoint, they grow quickly, easily reproduce, and require no further chemicals or energy for rot resistance (simply natural wood). Other natural wood alternatives may emerge from other tropical hardwoods, but they are destined to follow the same fate of Teak, Mahogany, Ipe, and Cumaru. More alternatives are synthetic products, such as plastics, composites, heat treated, or chemically infused woods. All of these options require petroleum based chemicals and energy to make the products rot-resistant – not an attractive solution for environmentally conscious owners, architects, and builders.

Why Black Locust and Sassafras?

 Black Locust and Sassafras are:

  • All natural hardwoods
  • Rated by the USDA at the highest level of rot resistance (click here for report)
  • Rank among the strongest lumber available (click here for report)
  • In the case of Black Locust Class A Fire Rated (click here for test results)
  • Easy to “work with” for outdoor projects of all kinds
  • Beautiful-looking with lots of grain and color variation
  • Fast-growing:
    • Note that there is a popular misconception about “Old Growth” Black Locust. There is no such thing as Old Growth Black Locust – since it is a fast growing and short lived species, it is nearly impossible for a tree to reach 120 years old (the common definition of “Old Growth”). The USDA website has great details on Black Locust and its short-lived nature.
  • Less costly than tropical hardwoods
  • Easily stained or painted
  • Easily custom milled with custom sizes
  • Widely available as the species grow in all 48 contiguous USA States
  • Can be near zero maintenance if customer desires a natural patina look
  • Sapwood, also known as the Cambium Layer, is very noticeable and small on Black Locust and Sassafras and allows for easy grading

The only downside to Black Locust and Sassafras is the size limitation. Since they are fast growing hardwoods (especially in the case of Black Locust), they do not get to the size of domestic softwoods (like Pine or Doug Fir) or tropical hardwoods. The typical lengths of the decking and siding are 3’ to 10’ with a smattering of 12’s and typically nothing longer. For widths it is nearly impossible to produce any 12” wide boards, so there are many more narrower options. This can result in a more expensive and timely installation process, and requires the need of a very skilled installer. However, we are using modern wood technology to come up with products, specifically for the decking and siding, that will allow for longer and wider boards and these products will be available in 2025.