I say pines! and I feel that it lightens my soul. I say pines! and my ears hear the forest. I say pines! and my lips feel the freshness of wild springs. Juana de Ibarbourou, Pines (free translation from Spanish) Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit a charming little chapel of the Jesuits in Pamplona, Spain, which was designed and built by … Continue reading Small wooden chapel
Currently, the buildings are mostly constructed with steel and concrete. These two materials have been the most used in the construction industry. However, neither of both has a completely sustainble life cycle balance as the wood. As a building material, wood possesses competitive characteristics and properties compared to the other two materials. Wood needs only a small amount of energy for production and recycling. Wood … Continue reading Using wood as material to reduce climate change
“To early man, trees were objects of awe and wonder. The mystery of their growth, the movement of their leaves and branches, the way they seemed to die and come again to life in spring, the sudden growth of the plant from the seed – all these appeared to be miracles as indeed they still are, miracles of nature!” – Ruskin Bond, The World of … Continue reading Why are we so fascinated with wood?
As you know the Maya civilization had its zenith in the Central American tropics more about one thousand years ago. Tikal (200 – 900AD) was one of the main cities of this great civilization. In the 10th century it was abandoned. There exist several theories why the civilization disappeared. One of the credible theories is that the cities run out of water – a necessity … Continue reading The Mayas in the Guatemalan tropical forest
The Guatemalan tropical forest situated in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in the north of the country has a size of 21,000 km². The forest community and organizations develop a sustainable and protected forest. The forest has an abundant and unique selection of exotic species, while most are unknown species in the market. The market is currently concentrated on two or three species: Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), … Continue reading Exotic wood species in Guatemala’s tropical forest
As independent consultants for the tropical timber market, we were asked by the Global Timber Forum to prepare and perform an interview with the biggest national organisations of tropical timber importers in Europe. The purpose was to know which actions and knowledge the European countries are developing for a more sustainable and responsible tropical timber market. The interview titled: “Interview gathering information for a more responsible … Continue reading Interview for a more sustainable tropical timber market in Europe
“The cedars house, the house surrounded by the cedar protection.” When you read the name of this beautiful house – “Cedars House” – you might imagine that it is completely made of the tropical hardwood Cedar – Cedrela Odorata. But I have to tell you it is not. The house was made of the exotic hardwood Manchiche – Lonchocarpus castilloi. It was called “Cedars house” … Continue reading The cedars house