[Greenbuilding] Bamboo is invasive. Shame on you David

Fri Feb 9 04:43:47 CST 2007

Hi folks, after reading some of the mail regarding Bamboo, I thought I would
like to get David's foot into his mouth.  Not to flame but to rap him over
his professional Architectural fingers to say such an irresponsible things
about Bamboo.  Here goes
http://www.inbar.int/facts.htm
http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/index.php
_http://texasbamboosociety.org/_ (http://texasbamboosociety.org/)
_http://americanbamboo.org/_ (http://americanbamboo.org/)
_http://bamboocentral.net/_ (http://bamboocentral.net/)
http://bamboocomposites.com/Pro_Profiles/DemoHouse.pdf
http://bamboocomposites.com/publication.htm
http://www.conbam.de/conbam.html?&L=1
http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Also/Awards_2006.html

Hope you all become Bamboosarios.
Regards
Johan Van Tonder

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <greenbuilding-request at listserv.repp.org>
To: <greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 7:16 PM
Subject: Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 8, Issue 13

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> Message: 3
> >      2.)   Importing ANYTHING from China.   Yes, I agree this is a bad
> > practice for both economic and so called 'green' reasons.   There is
plenty of
> > bamboo growing in the USA and the plantations would expand if there were
a large
> > market such as an US-based plyboo factory.   While establishing a grove
isn't
> > quick, it is quicker than planting softwoods and much more sustainable.
Bamboo
> > is a natural monocrop, or, depending on species and variety, and
understory
> > cover.   Figure that you start harvesting in less than 10 years after
planting
> > out, especially temperate species, e.g., the Phyllostachys genus.
Large
> > plantations would enable pre-harvest of premium timber culms for use in
bamboo
> > construction and crafts prior to a general cut for plywood fiber.   The
real
> > limitation is labor, since each culm needs to be individually selected,
leaving
> > the younger culms to mature.   (A culm should be between 3 and 6 years
old for
> > maximum strength.)   Unlike tropical bamboos, temperate bamboos suit
> > agroforestry arrangements, such as feeding foliage to ruminants, as the
leaves carry
> > negligible amounts of cyanide precursors.   I've seen this done as cut
and carry,
> > where the whole culm is removed to an adjacent pasture where the cattle
> > devour the foliage and small twigs.   Then the culm can be dressed and
shipped.
> > Less handling can be done if culms are dressed in the grove and cattle
turned
> > in after harvest (in the fall to avoid damage to new growth).   This
would make
> > such systems more viable, economically, and would maximize the
utilization of
> > the land so that native forests can be unmolested to a greater degree.
> > Woody trimmings too coarse for browsing would remain as mulch, which
bamboo dearly
> > loves.   Some fertility from the leaves would pass through the cattle
into
> > the grove as manure, reducing the need for fertilization.
> >
> > That would meet my definition of 'green' bamboo production and, given
the
> > location of a plyboo factory in the kudzu belt, minimize shipping of raw
> > materials (which would have almost no factory waste) and provide an
excellent
> > construction material.
> >
> > Bamboo can also be grown as part of a sewage treatment marsh.   It seems
that
> > everyone has to do his/her own research project on this, so there are
endless
> > positive research papers to back this up.   One just needs to somehow
short
> > circuit the industrial mindset that thinks a factory is the best way to
process
> > organic materials.
> >
> > Dan Hemenway
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------
> > Barking Frogs Permaculture Center
> > www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org
> >
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Late
> > registrations accepted as long as we have room. The protocol for our
Annual
> > Permaculture Design Course Online is at
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> >
> >
> > A list by topic of all Yankee Permaculture titles also may be found at
> >
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> >
> >
> >
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> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 11:57:37 -0500
> From: David Bergman <bergman at cyberg.com>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Plybooboo
> To: YankeePerm at aol.com,GREENBUILDING at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20070208115518.03b65d68 at mail.cyberg.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> At 09:35 AM 2/8/2007, YankeePerm at aol.com wrote:
> >There is plenty of
> >bamboo growing in the USA and the plantations would expand if there
> >were a large
> >market such as an US-based plyboo factory.
>
> Are there issues with Bamboo being a non-indigenous plant and
> threatening existing eco systems? I'd thought that, because it is
> essentially rapidly growing weed, it is hard to control and can
> potentially spread beyond farms and overtake systems.
>
>
> David
> DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
> architecture . interiors . ecodesign . lighting . furniture
> bergman at cyberg.com    www.cyberg.com
> 241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY 10002
> t 212 475 3106    f 212 677 7291