Summary
• Lyptus is produced from fast-growing eucalyptus produced in Brazil and Uruguay.
• Weyerhaeuser produces Lyptus in partnership with Aracruz Produitos de Madeira.
• It is suitable for interior joinery and flooring.
• Blumsom is the first approved stockist in the UK.

A few weeks before architects at Vetter Denk Architecture sat down to design new, Zen-like premises for a North American law firm, a sample of a new wood product had been delivered to their offices.

They were considering specifying one of their favourite materials – African mahogany – for the interior panelling and joinery but the similar fine grain and rich colour of the sample of Lyptus, South American-grown eucalyptus, caught their eye. When they considered its plantation-grown credentials, they were won over.

“The client really wanted to use forward-looking materials,” said designer Chad Chilswold. “The fact that three generations of Lyptus can grow from the same planting in 50 years’ time really appealed to their desire to use sustainable materials.”

Tropical alternative

Weyerhaeuser has developed Lyptus – a system of growing, manufacturing and marketing the hardwood products – as an alternative to tropical hardwoods. The fast-growing trees, which have a rotation of 14-16 years, are used to produce hardwood lumber, veneer and flooring. Weyerhaeuser’s European commercial director John Guerin said the timber’s good machining and turning properties make it easy to work with and it can accept a variety of finishes.

“The timber is exceptionally straight, dimensionally stable and a careful manual pruning regime means there are few knots in the finished product,” he said.

Weyerhaeuser produces Lyptus with its Brazilian partner Aracruz Produitos de Madeira. Aracruz has around 400,000ha, of which 260,000ha, including former agricultural and grazing lands, are planted with eucalyptus; the remaining 140,000ha are set aside as native forestry and governed by government regulations. The plantations are certified to Brazil’s national forestry standard, CERFLOR, which is recognised by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, and the mill is expected to be awarded chain of custody certification early next year.

Brazil’s warm climate is ideal for the fast-growing species. “It is 11 times more productive than temperate species from colder climates,” said Mr Guerin. “The growth values of the trees allow it to produce 30 times the volume of wood per acre compared with northern hemisphere unmanaged temperate forests.”

Weyerhaeuser’s next major industrial expansion programme in South America will be in Uruguay, where it is already a significant forest owner.

Weyerhaeuser bought a majority ownership in Aracruz in 2004 and spent the next two years investing in the mill and improving the product.

Target markets

After establishing a domestic market, the primary export target was the US, which remains the main market for Lyptus.

“The initial US launch was driven by strong demand from North America for a sustainable hardwood source,” said Mr Guerin. “Although it was widely used as a tropical hardwood substitute initially, it now stands on its own merits as a species.”

In the US, flooring is one of the most popular applications for Lyptus, while in Asia, which has also proved a strong market, it is in demand particularly for furniture production.

Now Weyerhaeuser is expanding into Europe. “It was important to get a guaranteed supply established before offering it to new markets,” said Mr Guerin.

Clients have already been established in Italy, Germany and the UK, and a more significant roll-out is expected near year, he added. Last month Blumsom became the first approved stockist in the UK, giving the company access to the full range of lumber thicknesses and Ireland received its first shipment of Lyptus, which is being supplied through D Kantor and Heiton/Buckley (Morgan Timber).

And Mr Guerin believes its push into the UK is timely and that its environmental benefits could give it a sporting chance in the Olympic developments.

“Lyptus has the correct sustainability credentials for many projects and this will be particularly important in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics,” he said.