Kebony: A Sustainable Softwood Transformed into a Tropical Hardwood

For building durable structures and outdoor furniture, tropical hardwood Ipé is a gift from nature. Unfortunately, we've taken too much of it, devastating the tropical rainforest to produce boardwalks, decks and flooring for yachts. A more sustainable alternative to Ipé has been developed in a very untropical climate: Skien, in southern Norway. There a company called Kebony has worked out a way to transform Radiata Pine, a softwood sustainably grown in New Zealand, into lumber with the...