Alternative Species are Meeting the Moment

Alternative Species are Meeting the Moment

As consumers seek out beautiful woods for exterior applications such as decking, siding and roofing, a number of lesser known species are meeting the market’s evolving needs. Two experts in the industry, Brian Lotz from Iron Woods and Rafeek Khan of McVantage International, discussed some of the species that are trending for exterior applications where appearance and performance are critical–and how and why they are meeting the moment.

Garapa can be an affordable and beneficial timber for shingles, siding, and other consumer applications, such as this business in Wisconsin.

Tropical hardwoods are known to have exceptional strength, durability and decorative appeal that make them ideal for exterior applications. Now more than ever, these and other key hardwood characteristics matter to consumers.

“COVID has driven people home,” stated Brian Lotz, Director of Commercial Sales for Timber Holdings and its Iron Woods brand of wood products. “As a result, they are spending more time and investing more in their outdoor living spaces. People want to enjoy their outdoor spaces, and demand for high quality outdoor wood products has gone up.”

In addition to the COVID pandemic, another key factor is the impact of the wildfires in California and other Western U.S. states. “Consumers are now paying a lot of attention to the fire-resistant qualities of building materials,” Lotz said.

“Fire resistance is a key benefit of tropicals as compared to domestic softwoods or composite materials, and many tropical hardwoods are fire resistant to a Class A standard without treatment,” said Rafeek Khan, McVantage International’s Director of International Sales and Marketing. “This is really important because treating wood involves adding chemicals and those chemicals eventually leach out into the soil,” Khan said. “Wallaba, Ipe, Greenheart and other tropical species contain resins that are naturally fire resistant.”

The industry has taken consumers’ environmental concerns seriously and has taken action. Technological advances have decreased waste of forest resources while also reducing manufacturing carbon footprints. “Enhanced production techniques and the transfer of technology to source countries in recent years have enabled those countries to add value to their raw materials. It has contributed to product innovation and also provided economic and employment benefits to local economies,” stated Khan. “What’s more, as these lesser known or less popular species gain attention, that further enhances the diversity of tropical hardwood forests,” he added.

The shingles at this tropical resort are manufactured from Sandura® Wallaba

“SPECIFIERS AND CONSUMERS ARE NOW RECOGNIZING THAT WELL-MANAGED RENEWABLE WOOD PRODUCTS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR POINTS OF ORIGIN, HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER LIFE CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THAN ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS LIKE STEEL, CONCRETE AND PLASTICS.”

BRIAN LOTZ • IRON WOODS

“Specifiers and consumers are now recognizing that well-managed renewable wood products, regardless of their points of origin, have significantly lower life cycle environmental impact than alternative building materials like steel, concrete and plastics,” said Lotz. “Corporate sustainability initiatives, increased access to independent third party chain of custody auditing (such as Unifloresta’s Verification of Legal Origin and FSC Certification), together with the “Due Care” requirements of laws like the U.S. Lacey Act (see p.49), mean that specifiers and consumers can utilize tropical forest products with a higher level of environmental confidence than ever before.”

Affordability is another factor that has helped promote less popular species and led to more diversity in harvesting and better balance in the forests, according to Khan. In the current environment, as demand for more familiar hardwoods, such as Ipe and Cumaru, has increased, prices have risen and this has drawn people to alternatives like Dark Red Balau, Sandura® Wallaba, Garapa, Itauba, Purpleheart, Ekki and Greenheart that offer similar beauty and quality. Wallaba, for example, has been known for centuries mainly for its use in industrial and marine applications in piers, bridges and transmission poles. It is now being seen as an affordable and equally beneficial timber for shingles, siding, and other consumer applications.

“ENHANCED PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES AND THE TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY TO SOURCE COUNTRIES IN RECENT YEARS HAVE ENABLED THOSE COUNTRIES TO ADD VALUE TO THEIR RAW MATERIALS. IT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO PRODUCT INNOVATION AND ALSO PROVIDED ECONOMIC AND EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO LOCAL ECONOMIES.”

RAFEEK KHAN • MCVANTAGE I NTERNATIONAL

“For all the downsides of this moment in time, it is a moment to seize,” Khan said. “It is forcing us to look at alternatives and possibilities, to be innovative and creative. And that’s all good.”