I dont know boys, something a bit strange about ripping on a bunch of kids for cutting into a tree in their backyard as we sit here on a product made from toxic materials on top of a desk probably made from Asian old growth timber talking about products we make that are made from toxic materials that we use in an ocean that we throw all our waste in, all while sipping on a can of cola that uses 9L of water to make 1L of drink or drinking coffee from plantations that have cut down rainforests.
When I drove 10 miles to go surfing this morning, I probably consumed more natural resources than those used to make all of their boards combined. A few surfboards and canoes made from living trees, are not what is destroying the environment. How much of the ozone was destroyed, and how many greenhouse gasses were released by cutting out a section of a tree root?
It seems way more sustainable to use a portion of a single root and leave the tree standing then clear cutting the rain forest to put in balsa tree plantations. That’s how it went down in PNG.
Plantations are not necessarily sustainable. There is much evidence that the fast growing balsa trees have an extractive effect upon soil fertility and that they tend to impoverish the soil of minerals and unbalance its structure. Compared to a forest, a tree plantation also tends to have a lower infiltration level, which is why it promotes erosion and slows the recharge of the aquifer. The plantations are much less efficient from a hydrological function then natural forests due to the lack of undergrowth and other plant strata.
The majority of current plantations are based on monocultures (single or limited species farming) which have disasterous effects on biodiversity. Monoculture plantations have been shown to lead to a reduction and/or loss of beneficial insects and bird species. Planting a limited number of species will make the local ecological conditions tip to what the planted trees favor. In this manner very few insects, animal species, plants and microbes will be favored while many others will be condemned to disappear.
Monoculture tree plantations do not contribute to the absorption of carbon and on the contrary cause a net increase in the release of carbon through the loss of the original vegetation.
In a monoculture balsa plantation the forest structure contains an artificially high stand density (trees all the same age and species) which results in closure of the forest canopy. The vertical diverstiy is minimized and herbs are ruthlessly suppressed due to the increased shade.
The methods used to extract wood during clearcuts of the plantation further damage many species of plants, animals and micro-organisms, which are killed directly or indirectly by loss of habitat. And becuase the wood is removed the forests forego the periods of decomposition which are critical for biodiversity.
Monoculture forestry depends upon high imputs of energy, fertilizer and pesticide. Without these constant inputs they would not be sustainable. The carbon cost of those necessary inputs is high.
This doesn’t even look at the social impact of monoculture tree plantations.
All in all, I’ll take the kid that takes a part of the tree and leaves the rest of it and the forest surrounding it intact as opposed to the clear cutting of rainforests done to make room for monoculture tree plantations so that the same kid can use balsa instead.
FTR, FWIW, IMHO, my .02, etc: I wasn’t ripping on the kids–I saw an adult who could have figured something else out chop the foot off a great huge rainforest tree on an island where rainforest destruction is already a major issue, and FOR ME it mitigates the stoke to see a guy like that do that, and set that example for the kids.
I would’ve actually rather seen the whole tree get used responsibly (and replanted) by the tribe (?) like PPS was talking about, and the kids’ toys made out of offcut, instead of the thing having its lifelines opened up to disease, insects, rot, etc and disfigured to boot.
kids having fun in the surf. sure beats booze and speed, the other island recreational activities. oh the poor tree, it’s a living breathing being with a soul. unpave your own driveway and plant paulownia, send it to PNG with all the gas you save. sure would be nice to have a decent blank, that rocker was all fucked up.
I agree. It would be a great project, that would really change the kids lives, and skill levels. It would be nice to keep it a Swaylocks project. The NZ, and OZ guys are geographically closer, and can react faster. I think what Balsa, and Pierre have done is admirable. The logistics of delivering the boards might be challenging. Perhaps some international pilots can be tapped. How 'bout it Swayguys, anyone out there able to contribute some ideas, suggestions, guidence, or contacts? I think getting some boards will be the easiest part.
I think what Balsa, and Pierre have done is admirable. The logistics of delivering the boards might be challenging. Perhaps some international pilots can be tapped.
As far as balsa and I are concerned, all we did was to give out some boards. All the credit goes to the belgian pilot who came up with the idea and contacted us. I’ll try to contact him back and see if he has any contacts concerning Papua New Guinea.
Here are a few shots that were taken at the time and uploaded on www.shaperoom.net:
In the first photo, Gin, Loli and their photographer friend (whose name I forgot, sorry) are strapping my old boards on their car in front of my shop before heading back to Belgium and, from there, down to Sierra Leone:
These are good memories and I surely don’t regret my old boards. I know they have had a new life down there and they have made a few kids happy, whereas they would have collected dust in a dark corner of my shop otherwise… Again, Pierre and the others (myself included) didn’t do much. Our belgian friends Gin and Loli thought of it, organized it and made it happen.
