The Wood Users Guide

The Rainforest Action Network’s

Wood Users Guide, by Pamela Wellner and Eugene Dickey (revised, April 1992) is the most complete guide we’ve seen on alternatives to tropical hardwoods. The 68-page booklet begins by succinctly presenting RAN’s position on tropical timber use: very simply, that tropical hardwoods should be boycotted unless those woods “can be proven to come from logging operations that are truly sustainable and that do not exploit the people of the forests.” This position has been criticized as too extreme by many, including some environmentalists, who argue that eliminating a market for tropical woods could hasten the conversion of forest land to agricultural uses for which it is ill-suited.

Following the rather heavy—and discouraging—5-page introduction, the book contains lots of practical information on finding alternatives to tropical timber. A section on tips and techniques describes how to find less common temperate woods in small sawmills, staining techniques to make domestic woods look more exotic, finding recycled wood, and use of composite and non-wood alternatives. A fairly comprehensive 30-page listing of both temperate and tropical wood species follows, including characteristics and appropriate uses. One concern with this section is that there seems to be inadequate discussion of threatened temperate species, such as old-growth softwoods and butternut. Finally, the book includes a listing of resources. One of the companies listed (under “garden tools”) has been out of business for more than five years, though, so we’re not sure how up-to-date the listings are.

While

The Wood Users Guide has limitations, it provides an important starting point as a resource on tropical timber alternatives. We consider it well worth the price ($7.50 plus $2.50 shipping and handling). To order a copy, write to the Rainforest Action Network, 450 Sansome, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA, 94111 (415/398-4404).