Have you ever wondered where balsa wood comes from and what the tree looks like?
So have I, so I Googled "balsa" and found that the word "balsa" is Spanish for raft. It seems that the early Spanish plunderers used the wood to build rafts to cross streams so they called the tree itself balsa. I'll bet you didn't know that you spoke Spanish, did you?
The tree needs copious amounts of rainfall, good drainage, and a warm climate to flourish and the best stands grow on the high ground between rivers. Ecuador has the exact climate needed to support these trees where they are called Boyas, meaning "bouy". The scientific name is "ochroma lagopus" but don't ask me to pronounce it.
Balsa trees do not grow in large copses as do oaks, pines, etc. They grow in scattered groups throughout the rainforest and reproduce by growing hundreds of long "seedpods" which eventually open and allow the seeds to scatter over huge parts of the jungle. Each seed has it's own small wisp of "Down" similar to a dandelion and can float long distances on the wind. They eventually fall to the ground and become covered by the litter of the jungle until one day an opening forms in the jungle canopy large enough for the sun's rays to fall on the seeds and start the growing process.
Wherever there is an opening made by a farmer or a dying tree, balsa will spring up as thick as grass. Keeping food plots clear of the balsa is an ongoing battle for the hard pressed farmers struggling to feed their families. As the new balsa trees grow, the strongest will become dominant and the weaker trees will die. By the time they mature, there may be only a couple of trees standing on each acre of ground.
Balsa trees grow very rapidly, often reaching 10-12 feet high at the end of the first year with a diameter of 1 or 2 inches. By the time they are 10 years old, they may stand 60 to 90 feet high with a 45 inch diameter. If the trees are not cut down at this point, the new outer growth will become very hard and the tree will begin to rot in the center.
The leaf of a balsa tree resembles a grape leaf but much larger. When the tree is young the leaves may measure up
to 4 feet across.
Modern use of the balsa tree actually began during World War 1 when the Allies needed a cork substitute for use in life
belts, the only drawback to it's use being the backbreaking work hauling it out of the forests. Because it grows in scattered
groups, modern tree harvesting methods cannot be used. They are still logged as they were four hundred years ago- cut down,
drag to a river and float to the mill. Because of the hilly terrain, ox teams may only make two trips to the river each day.
Once the logs reach the mill, they are cut into large boards and kiln dried prior to being packed into bundles for shipment
via ocean freighter.
Balsa acquires its lightness due to the cells being very large and thin walled. Only about 40% of a log is solid substance
with the remaining 60% being mostly water and lignin. Balsa is the fourth lightest wood in the world but pound for pound it is
stronger in some respects than pine, hickory and even oak!
The leaf of a balsa tree resembles a grape leaf but much larger. When the tree is young the leaves may measure up to 4 feet across.
Modern use of the balsa tree actually began during World War 1 when the Allies needed a cork substitute for use in life belts, the only drawback to it's use being the backbreaking work hauling it out of the forests. Because it grows in scattered groups, modern tree harvesting methods cannot be used. They are still logged as they were four hundred years ago- cut down, drag to a river and float to the mill. Because of the hilly terrain, ox teams may only make two trips to the river each day.
Once the logs reach the mill, they are cut into large boards and kiln dried prior to being packed into bundles for shipment via ocean freighter.
Balsa acquires its lightness due to the cells being very large and thin walled. Only about 40% of a log is solid substance with the remaining 60% being mostly water and lignin. Balsa is the fourth lightest wood in the world but pound for pound it is stronger in some respects than pine, hickory and even oak!