Rubberwood (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Rubberwood is the wood from the Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). It has always been used on a small scale, but has become much more common now, a relative new-comer on the market. There are extensive plantations with these trees in southeastern Asia: the older practice was to just burn the tree at the end of its latex-producing cycle, due to the poor properties of the wood. Now, industrial processing may serve to keep the deficiencies of inferior quality woods under control in the finished product, and these trees are now put to use. The wood has become economically significant. Rubberwood is now advertised as an "environmentally friendly" wood, as it makes use of plantation trees that have already served a useful function (however, in promoting the wood, sellers often go overboard and make false claims about its strength and durability). The wood, sometimes also called parawood, is very susceptible to decay and should be used only indoors. It has a notable tendency to warp, which can be kept under control (mostly) by applying pressure during drying.