what's all the hype about ipe

ok, i'll tell you

Ipe is a Brazilian hardwood, Tabebuia serratifoli, found throughout tropical america. It stands as one of the tallest trees in a rain forest. It is a hard wood, similar to Teak but much cheaper. It is such a hard wood that it will blunt cutting tools and has to be pre-drilled before nailing. It's heartwood is extremely resistant to attack from termites and decay fungi and highly fire resistant. The Forest Service recommends use for railroad ties, heavy construction and tool handles to name a few.

The recent attraction to Ipe has sprouted from it's natural resistance to rot and termites. The hardwood does not need to be treated with chemicals to withstand years of use; in fact it is extremely difficult to even treat. So many builders, architects, and officials claim Ipe to be the "green" choice, for it's lack of chemical treatment and it's natural ability to withstand decay. Even my beloved, Michelle Kaufman, uses it as a green choice.

So I'm here to remind everyone, there should be no hype about Ipe, no new exciting sustainable wood product with revolutionary properties. The tall tree shouldn't even have a market with the current climate changing realizations. But it does.

One reason is that some Ipe attainable has been harvested sustainably through the guidelines set forth from International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). This may be rightfully minded but when the demand for Ipe is set and roads are cleared which in turn opens up new access for all other sorts of deforestation enterprises, such as cattle ranching, mining and agricultural plantations. It is estimated that 80% of hardwood coming out of the rain forests are illegally obtained!

I think we all know the basic losses associated with rain forest deforestation but basically the CO2 loving rain forests are being replaced with CO2 producing enterprises, at the current rate, deforestation will be the leading contributer of climate change in the next three years (http://www.alternet.org/environment/64562/).

So let's make a stand and end the fascination with Ipe.