What’s the problem with ipé?
Revered for its beauty and hardness, it’s no surprise that ipé came to earn a place in hearts and minds around the world. But in recent years, that demand has unleashed a catastrophic toll on the Amazon rainforest and its people.
The crisis is multi-faceted: Ipé trees grow far apart from one another leading illegal harvesters to destroy countless other trees before they even get to the ipé. Access to ipé trees is often obtained through intimidation and violence — and even through intentional arson intended to drive people from their land — which is also a significant contributor to the forest fires we hear about in the news.
Though the forces behind this destruction are complex, the takeaway is simple: It is now totally unacceptable to buy ipé.
Is it okay to buy ipê if it has the right certifications?
Due to various forms of fraud that are common at the various stages of timber production, it’s almost impossible to distinguish between legally and illegally logged ipé. In fact, the official control system designed to prevent this is now being used to legitimize this fraud. As untraceable timber flows out of the Amazon, funding flows in, fuelling more deforestation.
—Greenpeace
The FSC does have standards and criteria for certifying wood products — and if ipé is harvested and processed in a way that meets these standards, it can be certified — but this is only a small percentage of the wood coming out of there and costs three times as much as non-certified ipé.
—FSC
What is the position of world governments?
Ipé was recently added to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) — the global agreement between governments that aims is to ensure that trade does not threaten the survival of species. Although considered by many to be long overdue, ipé’s inclusion on the CITES list may prove pivotal in preventing its demise.
Read more →
What’s the best way to take a deeper dive into this subject?
A mesmerizing documentary was just released that chronicles the last fifty years of forestry and resource extraction in Brazil. We Are Guardians will bring you, the viewer, into the trenches to reveal the human story, and make you an evangelist for the cause.
How do ipé’s alternatives compare?
Some customers continue to ask for ipé without realizing how well other woods might meet their needs.
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Accoya is sold unsurfaced. Therefore it must get shipped to a moulding shop, handled and surfaced and shipped to the site.
Nova Wood is rated at 12" O/C for joists.
Red Balau must be treated on all 4 faces with a product similar to Ipê oil or Cutek "clear" prior to install. It is also recommended to apply the same product to the top deck face every 1-2 years depending on exposure. Without the oil treatment the wood is prone to having the micro cracks develop into the structural cracks in as few as 1-2 years — climate dependent.
Kebony warranty is 30 years, exclusive to original purchaser.
Accoya warranty is exclusive to original purchaser, 50 years above ground, with maintenance.
Special infrastructure is required as Kebony's long life-cycle will outlast typical PT framing by as much as 40 years. Best infrastructure material is Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) Micronized Copper Azole (MCA) pressure-treated to ground contact standard (UC4.2), which North on Sixty does carry.
Kebony must be affixed using stainless steel fasteners only, or our Step-Clip system.
Although Kebony 22x142mm is rated for commercial foot traffic at 24” O/C, we recommend 16” O/C to provide the highest quality “feel” underfoot.
Predrill only recommended for last 6” of boards.
Labour prices have been pushed up and unstable since 2020. Our install cost was based on professional labour pre-pandemic.
Updated Mar 2023. North on Sixty cannot guarantee accuracy but every effort has been made to provide realistic and up-to-date information.
While we’re comparing woods, it’s also important to remember that the over-harvesting of ipé has led to a reduction in its quality. This can result in cupped, curved and different density and colour gradation in deck boards, which in turn makes it slower to install and with higher waste and/or returns. Many ipé deck boards require the use of a ‘hardwood wrench’ to torque them into position and align with their contiguous mates.