Lyptus
Encyclopedia
Trade name
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
of a wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
made from a hybrid of two species of Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
tree, Eucalyptus grandis
Eucalyptus grandis
Eucalyptus grandis, commonly known as the Flooded gum or Rose gum, is a tall tree with smooth bark, rough at the base fibrous or flaky, grey to grey-brown...
and Eucalyptus urophylla
Eucalyptus urophylla
Eucalyptus urophylla is a species of Eucalypt native to islands of the Indonesian Archipelago and Timor. It has been used to produce hybrid species as it appears to be insect-resistant, including a timber with a trade name of "Lyptus", hybridised with Eucalyptus grandis, commonly known as the Rose...
. Developed for quick harvesting, and grown on plantations in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Lyptus is marketed as an environmentally friendly alternative to oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, and other wood products that may be harvested from old growth forests. Lyptus trees can be harvested for lumber in approximately 15 years, much sooner than woods from cooler climates.
Lyptus is grown in plantations operated by Fibria
Fibria
Fibria Celulose is a Brazilian pulp and paper company created by a merger between Aracruz and VCP, born positioned as a global leader in pulp, with production capacity exceeding 6 million tons of pulp and paper produced in 7 factories distributed in 5 Brazilian states. Much of this production is...
, a company resulting from the merger of Aracruz Celulose S.A.
Aracruz
Aracruz Celulose S.A. was the major Brazilian manufacturer of pulp and paper. In 2009 the company merged with VCP and renamed Fibria...
and Votorantim Celulose e Papel
Votorantim Celulose e Papel
Votorantim Papel e Celulose - VCP was one of the leading pulp and paper sector in Brazil and one of the largest enterprises of the Votorantim Group, which stands out among the major business conglomerates in Latin America...
. Lyptus is distributed in North America by Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
. Fibria forests total 1.3 million hectares, of which 461,000 hectares are native reserves dedicated to environmental protection, in six Brazilian States: Espírito Santo, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul.
Properties
Lyptus has mechanical properties similar to many hardwoods, and is most often compared to mapleMaple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
. It is a closed-grain wood, and is harder than oak. The high hardness and closed grain structure make it popular for cabinetry, millwork and flooring. The coloration varies from a light salmon to a deeper red. With exposure to UV light, the pigments darken slightly.
Workability
Lyptus is largely marketed as a viable alternative to mahoganyMahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
. The density and closed, uniform grain structure of lyptus lends well to both milling and machining. It doesn't produce the "fuzzy" raised grain when sawed that mahogany frequently does, and unlike maple, it doesn't have spots of knurled grain that would make it prone to tearout.
Benefits
As a plantation grown wood, use of Lyptus does not deplete old growth forestOld growth forest
An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...
s, which are regarded as valuable havens for biodiversity. Lyptus's fast growth rate ensures that supply stays high, and keeps costs low. The plantation environment also allows for precise control of soil chemistry, tree spacing, and other factors affecting growth, resulting in the highest quantity of quality wood from the smallest space.
Criticism
AracruzAracruz
Aracruz Celulose S.A. was the major Brazilian manufacturer of pulp and paper. In 2009 the company merged with VCP and renamed Fibria...
has been criticized in the past for poor relations with indigenous peoples, by strongly supporting legal measures that would give Aracruz land previously designated for indigenous tribes. Aracruz has refused to certify their process with the Forest Stewardship Council
Forest Stewardship Council
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. Its main tools for achieving this are standard setting, independent certification and labeling of forest products...
and related forestry certification programs. Aracruz claims that they do not certify with current programs because they are too limiting, and do not represent realistic practices. However, others feel that their lack of certification is a sign that they are engaging in processes that may not be environmentally friendly.