Comments on: Why Use Ipe When You Can Have Black Locust?

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:48:34 +0000

Looking for black locust wood post and rails
Do you know if anyone who sells and ships to California? It’s awesome wood and we need to repair post and rails in our canyon.
Thanks a bunch

By: Geo Teo Teo

Geo Teo Teo — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 01:16:48 +0000

When you “rip them out” what happens to the trees? In large enough size they make great boat building lumber and as firewood are unsurpassed. Have you thought of recycling the wood to pay for some of your riparian restoration work??

By: Brian Lotz

Brian Lotz — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:29:29 +0000

Brian L
Black Locust may work in theory but it is not perfoming well in application. Just check out the Brooklyn Botaincal Gardens. Also is anyone calling out for FSC Certified Black Locust or are we once again not hold our own forest management to the same standards we desire to apply to tropical forest countries? While nothing can compare with Ipe ( It’s as though it was created for exterior constructions) Cumaru is now readily available FSC certified and should be considered as a good substitute for Ipe. Better yet there is new rapidly renewable resource technology available. Iron Woods EcoStrand Thermally Modified Engineered Bamboo developed by Lamboo Technologies. This product has all the technical benefits associated with Ipe. In addition it has increadibly low movement in service and is ideal for commercial boardwalk applications as you can generate virtually any volume in any dimension in any length and quantity with zero production waste. You will soon see the product on 800 Pier One Import stores as sun screens and entry doors. I remain a staunch believer that any wood certified or not is a superior alternative to non wood alternatives and have been involved in the sourcing and distribution of super durable tropical hardwoods for over 30 years. As a rapidly renewable resource Thermally Modified Bamboo may be exactly what the market has been looking for. Just don’t forget that if you take away the value of a forest as a resource base what has histirocally happened is that the resource base gets converted to alternative agricultural use. The goal has to be sound management and sustainable harvest. Limit a species use to its very best applications. Dont use Ipe indoors, the benefits are not necessary in the application. But Ipe should always have a home in exterior construction, there is simply no better suited material. And with the Lacey Act in place there is virtually no concern that the Ipe brought into the US has been sourced illegally. The Lacey Act was enacted to provide the US market with confidence about the legal harvest of the plant based products we import. Ipe should now be specified with confidence. Current Environmental Specification Language for Ipe and other species is readily available to designers from Timber Holdings USA.

By: Frank P

Frank P — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:28:17 +0000

I agree that black locust is a great resource. I am a woodworker and
harvest logs that landscapers pay to throw in our land fills. I currently have 4 logs ready to be milled and dried in my solar kiln. I would like to see more information about drying this wood.

By: jack ryan

jack ryan — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:21:23 +0000

Black Locust has a waste factor of over 50%

And essentially is junk and not durable those in the trade advise.

We should schedule a trip to Brazil to see the Ipe logs acres upon acres. The vast majority of lumber companies are responsible that would rival FSC companies.

The cattle farmers and other industries are the ones who are clear cutting the Brazilian forrest. These industries are giving Ipe a bad rap.

By: Ryan Temple

Ryan Temple — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:12:37 +0000

Another great alternative is Western Juniper; a native to the American west. Decades of fire suppression and overgrazing have resulted in it encroaching on natural grasslands. Its removal can restore these ecosystems and this beautiful wood is more rot resistant that Redwood or Red Cedar

By: Stuart

Stuart — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:48:11 +0000

Can someone supply info on readily available sources for dimensioned timbers, other than in Europe?

By: KT

KT — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:18:05 +0000

I love the idea of domestic production and utilization of local resources, especially on sites that are now just a waste of space but the article mentions nothing about the locust borer that is so devastating to black locust. I agree with the above mention about how strong hedge trees are but they are also extremely squirrely, growing with multiple stems and twisting and turning, and the yellow/red color of their wood may not be as desirable for commercial products. Better utilized for biofuel in my opinion. Thank you for the article though, it is interesting.

By: ART MEHAS

ART MEHAS — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:10:20 +0000

TRY THE VARIETY PURPLE ROBE IT IS OUTSTANDING. AND TOUGH TOUGH

By: Helen Dimos

Helen Dimos — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:06:38 +0000

I appreciate this article and will send it to some people who grow wood! Thanks. It’s great to use natives!