Durapalm
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.30.07
We have mentioned Durapalm before in passing; it is made from "plantation grown coconut palms, which are in abundance throughout much of the world. Palms produce nuts for up to 80 years, then non-producing palms are removed and replaced....as the rainforest continues to be tapped for timber needs, coconut palms have been an overlooked and under utilized resource. We hope that palmwood will one day be recognized as a valuable building resource and help reduce rainforest harvesting"
It was interesting as a formaldehyde free plywood, but Smith and Fong now make it in a neat looking woven pattern. ::Smith and Fong via K+BB Green
that is a really exellent design!
Unfortunately many palm plantations are being created out of natural forest areas. Palm plantations are a monoculture and are just as destructive as cutting down forests for farming, which, in essence, is what it is.