Bamboo forest ecosystem. A dense, evergreen bamboo forest is a peaceful and magical place. As the wind bends the flexible bamboo, the poles clack and the leaves whisper. Bamboo has inspired human beings for millenia.
The fastest growing plant. Bamboo is not a tree, it is a giant grass. Some species grow four feet in one day! Bamboo reaches full height in one growth spurt of about two months. When bamboo is harvested, the root system is unharmed and healthy, ready to produce more shoots, just like a grass lawn.
1500 varieties. Bamboo grows naturally in the tropical world extending to temperate climates. Running bamboo spreads underground and pops up like a weed. Clumping bamboo is preferred because it remains in the area it is planted.
5000 uses. For thousands of years, bamboo has benefited people in Asia, Africa, South America: building materials with the strength of steel, furniture, weapons (first rocket was a bamboo tube stuffed with gunpowder), writing and musical instruments, fuel, food, medical products.
Bamboo for building. Some grows so large it is called timber bamboo- 120 feet high and 13" diameter. Thick bamboo poles are 2-3 times stronger than comparable size of wood timber. Bamboo can be harvested in 7 years versus 10-50 years for softwoods and hardwoods, yielding up to 20 times more than wood. One bamboo clump can produce 200 poles in the five years it takes one tree to reach maturity. Bamboo can be sustainably harvested and replenished with virtually no impact to the environment.
Grow your own home. It's a renewable resource for housing, flooring, paneling, fencing and more. In the tropics, it's possible to grow your own home. In Costa Rica, 1000 bamboo houses have been built annually from a 60 hectare (150 acre) plantation.
Source : bambooliving.com
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