Bamboo As a Renewable Resource Material

By Michael E. Lennox

When considering the trend in recent years to find materials considered less destructive to the environment, bamboo should be near the top of the list for eco-friendly material solutions. Its many commercial uses include furnishings, flooring, trim, clothing, and paper. From growth rate, de-forestation prevention, oxygen release, timber yield, and overall environmental impact, bamboo has proven itself to be not only a cost effective resource but one you can feel good about using.

A typical forest grown specifically for building or other materials will take an average of 30-50 years to grow into the mature state needed to be harvested and then re-planted. Bamboo, however, takes an average of seven years to not only mature, but to be harvested AND replanted. In terms of individual trees, a 60 foot high lumber tree will take approximately 50 years to replace, while the same height bamboo tree will take only 59 days with minimal water and typically no fertilizers.

And while the lumber tree will individually add up to more usable material, over time the bamboo will provide exponentially greater yields. This expedited rate of growth not only allows for almost 20 times the amount of lumber harvested from traditional wood forests, but provides an increased amount of soil nutrients, helps prevents erosion within the planted areas, and releases up to 35 percent more oxygen than a comparably sized forest of traditional lumber trees.

Another benefit of using bamboo as a primary building material is its unique strength and durability. Bamboo wood has a tension strength ratio that is closely comparable to steel. Bamboo flooring is highly considered to be more moisture resistant and harder than oak, maple, or other common wood floorings. Along with these benefits bamboo itself has an extremely high tolerance for heat and fire with an ability to withstand temperatures upwards of 200 degrees.

Furthermore because of all the above mentioned reasons, bamboo is now a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifiable "green" product. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification organization and is widely regarded as the leader in implementing and organizing eco-friendly standards and practices.

There are other great resources available at http://www.jmxbamboo.com, including information about bamboo, bamboo molding and solid bamboo furniture

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