WHY IS THE PRICE OF EXOTIC FLOORING INCREASING?
Consumer concern of the environment is causing manufacturers and retailers to change their product mix to accommodate customers and the effects of illegal logging on the rainforest. “I sold Brazilian cherry for the same price as most domestic woods two years ago. Since then the price of exotic flooring has increased 40 percent,”says Mike Caroll owner and operator of Buffalo based M P Caroll Hardwood. “This change in the price is influencing both customers and manufacturers. Manufacturers are now producing domestic species that are stained and treated to look like exotic woods including Brazilian cherry. The domestic woods are more sustainable, better for the environment, and made in the U.S.”
Another reason for the price increase of exotic flooring is the United States revising its 100-year-old Lacey Act which was intended to preserve tropical plants, wild birds and game. Recent amendments to this act in 2008 have made it illegal to import wood without proper documentation. Two Gibson Guitar factories in Memphis and Nashville have recently felt the enforcement of this law. Federal law enforcement seized more than one million dollars of rosewood ebony and finished guitars. The popularity of exotic wood floors is decreasing because of the price increase due to new legislation and enforcement of deforestation laws.
United States legal intervention on the global issue of illegal logging has brought the issue to the attention of customers. Recently, Mike Caroll recalls, “Our clients have eagerly responded to the domestic wood option as opposed to exotic woods not only because of the price difference but because of the sustainability of the wood. Customers are educated on the issue of illegal logging via the internet, and I have observed an increase in the domestic wood purchases just in the last 12 months as a result not only of price but of environmental awareness.” With the popularity of exotic woods decreasing because of their link to the depletion of the rainforests more consumers are purchasing sustainable domestic woods. Retailers across the board have noted an increase in customer awareness of the illegal logging issue as well as an increase in inquiries as to the FSC certification of the wood. FSC is a global group whose purpose is to improve forest management worldwide through forest certification, particularly in endangered tropical rain forests.
The introduction of new legislation, as well as domestic floors treated and stained to look like exotic floors, have changed the market and its effect on the rainforest. Prior to the new legislation the rainforest was being rapidly depleted because of the poor, illegal logging practices of the past century. Retailers like M P Caroll Hardwood have begun to encourage customers toward the domestic woods made to look like exotics. “It’s better for the environment; customers know where the wood is coming from and can depend on our company for a legacy of environmental stewardship throughout the successful completion of residential and commercial projects.”
Statistics show that 20 percent of the rainforest has been depleted due to illegal logging practices and, in turn, this has contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer. More animals are on the endangered species list and are at risk of extinction while eight to ten percent of exotic wood on the world market is still coming from illegal sources. Customers should ask the retailer or manufacturer they buy any wood product from if the wood is FSC certified to help the illegal logging issue.
The new legislation and enforcement of it, the introduction of domestic floors and other products that are stained and treated to look like exotics, and the increase in consumer interest and inquiry as to the sustainability of exotic products, and the location where they were harvested, have all influenced the price of exotic floors and the environment in powerful ways. Other industries that use exotic wood, such as the furniture, musical instrument and cabinet industries, are being affected, as well. Consumers need to educate themselves on the products they purchase and learn where the products are made, what they are made of, and how it affects our environment.
Closer view of the deforestation. This satellite image shows logging roads cut into a virgin forest in Brazil. M P Caroll Hardwood recently installed this Oak floor treated and finished to simulate Brazilian Cherry flooring for Prestige Designs in the Avant Building located in downtown Buffalo, New York.