In 1913, Theodore Roosevelt while building the Panama Canal created what was then the world’s largest man-made lake (Gatun Lake) by damming the Chagres River and flooding an old growth jungle the size of Montreal. Ninety-seven years later, CoastEcoTimber Inc. is using submersible hydraulic chainsaws to harvest the perfectly preserved tropical hardwoods from that underwater jungle. From this underwater operation in Panama, CoastEcoTimber can now offer you the species listed below.

These woods are all FSC® rated and meet LEED-NC v 3.0 requirements. Here are the points available.

• Use of a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of FSC certified wood based materials and products will result in MR Credit 7 - 1 point.
• Use of a minimum of 20% building materials or products that have been harvested as well as manufactured within 500 miles of the project site will result in MR Credit 5 - 2 points.
• Use of a minimum of 10% salvaged materials based on cost of the total materials in the project will result in MR Credit 3 - 2 points.

By using FSC certified wood salvaged from Gatun or Bayano lakes in Panama within a 500 mile radius of the manufacturing facility in Chepo, a total of 5 LEED points can be produced.

Please click on these woods for further information.

FSC® Canal Zapatero (Hyeronima alchorneoides)

Appearance: Heartwood is dark reddish brown. Sapwood is mild reddish brown. Medium but pronounced veined grain pattern, usually straight or interlocked. Moderate lustre. Overall rich and warm. Very consistent color and grain.

Species Characteristics: Very hard and durable. Naturally resistant to decay, funguses and termite attack. Odourless and tasteless.

Uses: High quality furniture, veneers, wall panelling and general carpentry and millwork. Well suited for indoor or outdoor use. Very hard and very suitable for solid or engineered flooring or decking.

FSC® Canal Ipe (Tabebuia Serratifolia)

Appearance: Canal Ipe heartwood usually shows an olive brown coloring to near black that at times may have darker or lighter striping. It has a somewhat oily appearance and varying grain patterns from uniform and straight to very irregular. Ipe, when milled, will show much color variation. As time passes the color will become more uniform. Exposure to sunlight will darken the wood to a medium or dark brown color. In the case of Ipe decking, greying will occur naturally. Pressure washing will turn it brown again.

Species Characteristics: Canal Ipe is renowned for its impressive durability. In addition to simple hardness, structurally, this wood is a magnificent choice for resistance to moisture as well as pests. It is important that Ipe be properly dried to prevent shrinkage during installation. It has a Class A fire rating which is the same rating given to concrete and cement.

Uses: The more popular uses of Canal Ipe capitalize on the tremendous durability of the species. The species is known throughout the world as the ultimate decking material. Railroad ties, flooring, fencing, and heavy construction are other natural choices for a wood as hard as cement.

FSC® Canal Grand Cashew (Anacardium excelsum)

Appearance: Uniform russet brown tones with a fairly high lustre and attractively marked by prominent vessel lines. Grain is typically interlocked with a pronounced stripe. Heartwood has a golden or reddish cast. Sapwood is lighter and sharply demarcated from the heartwood.

Species Characteristics: Highly decorative with interesting grain patterns.

Light weight. Resistant to dry wood termite attack.

Uses: Furniture, veneers, wall panelling, cabinets, and general carpentry and millwork. Excellent for guitars. Low grades used in general construction both indoors and outdoors.

FSC® Canal Cativo (Prioria Copaifera)

Appearance: Sapwood may be very pale pink or distinctly reddish and it is usually wide. In trees up to 76cm (30”) in diameter, heartwood may be only 18cm (7”) in diameter. The grain is straight and the texture of the wood is uniform. Very little color change over time.

Species Characteristics: Can be dried rapidly and easily with very little degrade. Dimensional stability is very good. It may contain appreciable quantities of gum. In wood that has been properly dried, however, the aromatics in the gum are removed and there is no difficulty in finishing.

Uses: Considerable quantities of Canal Cativo are used for interior woodwork, and resin-stabilized veneer is an important pattern material. Widely used for furniture and cabinet parts, lumber core for plywood, picture frames, edge banding for doors, joinery, and millwork

FSC® Canal Cedro espino (Bombacopsis Quinata)

Appearance: Heartwood is uniform pale pinkish brown when freshly cut, becoming more of a light reddish brown on exposure. Lustre rather low. Grain straight to slightly interlocked.

Species Characteristics: Light weight and uniform in color and grain.

Uses: Interior finish, millwork, furniture, veneer, and plywood. Lower grades used locally in general construction both indoors and outdoors.

FSC® Canal Cumaru (Dipterix Oleifera)

Appearance: Overall burgundy hue. Heartwood and sapwood are relatively similar. Over time the two will come together in a more uniform pattern. Very little color change over time. Grain patterns are interlocked and wavy.

Species Characteristics: Structural stability is impressive once dried. Resistant to decay and insect attack. Very hard and durable. Difficult to nail, pre-drilling is recommended.

Uses: Strong and dense Canal Cumaru is commonly used for decking, support beams, flooring, cabinetry, canoes, pianos.

FSC®Canal Nispero (Manilkara Bidentata)

Appearance: Heartwood is typically reddish brown, sapwood white to yellow to brown with little distinction between the two. Fine textured grain, even or uniform, straight and interlocked. It darkens with exposure.

Species Characteristics: Canal Nispero is naturally very durable. Difficult to dry, best to dry slowly. Very hard and stiff.

Uses: Boat building, bridge beams, cabinetry, desks, flooring, joinery, mine timbers, musical instruments, dining room furniture, office furniture, railroad ties, shingles, skis, tool handles, veneer, plywood.