May
Bamboo has seen a recent acceleration in popularity, but is it really all it’s hyped to be?
It is a highly renewable resource. It is native to every continent except Europe and Antarctica. It can be harvested as soon as three years after it’s been planted; compared with one hundred and twenty years for a common hardwood that is really impressive. Also, it is a grass, so there is no need for it to be replanted.It is stronger than steel in tension; stronger than concrete in compression, and more stable than red oak. However, there are several downsides to bamboo:
Forests are being cleared to be replanted with bamboo. In other words, it is becoming a monoculture. Fertilizers, while not necessarily required to grow bamboo, are being used to increase yield, and, of course, fertilizers don’t do great things to the environment. Being a relatively new resource there are not as many regulations, so formaldehyde is still heavily used in bamboo products. Most of the United States’ bamboo supply is being imported which is, of course, not the ideal situation.
As demand continues to grow the aforementioned problems will hopefully be addressed and bamboo will become one of the most, if not the most, viable green materials available.
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