Buyers Guide 2025Stunning New Product Designs

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN: The prototype hammock designed at the School of Woodcarving and Carpentry in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
WINNING DESIGN: The ITTO project developed prototype designs using timber from secondary species, including this modular wall light.
Source: CFMIStunning New Product DesignsHelp Support Sustainable Forestry in Costa Rica’s Secondary ForestsWorking in partnership with the design community, several new products were designed using timber from Costa Rica’s secondary forests. This was part of a project funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) that identified new products and strategies to help communities make more effective use of sustainably managed secondary forests. The designs were selected from participants in an international design competition among Costa Rican educational institutions and a carpentry program collaboration.The award-winning designs from the competition included a modular wall light, a lamp, a dough proofer, and a workspace. Two additional prototypes—a hammock and a set of coasters—were the result of a collaboration with a carpentry institute. Based on these prototypes, prospective market surveys were completed. The results indicated handicrafts as a significant market segment, particularly given its overlap with tourism, an important economic sector in Costa Rica.Costa Rica has a strong track record in forest and biodiversity conservation, with approximately 2.5 million acres of established secondary forest. These forests grow as a progression of the original forest on the same land. Secondary forests are not only valuable for timber production and the creation of rural employment, but also capture carbon at a high rate, while providing water and soil protection and supporting biodiversity.These secondary forests face a multitude of demands from their small landowners and the surrounding community. The forest is a key source of livelihood. Designing market prototypes was part of a larger project to start examining feasible markets that could support the forest health of Costa Rica’s secondary forests. Key species to include in conservation and management efforts were identified and those woods were used to examine possible markets.Building successful markets for products made from these woods helps conserve these forests, improve their management and can be a lever to boost local economies and increase the resilience of rural communities. This new product design and market development is an important part of those conservation efforts.Project outputs can be found by inserting the project code PP-A/59-353 into the ITTO project search function at www.itto.int/project_search.
Excerpts taken from ITTO article by Natalia Chacón Executive Director, Forestry, Wood and Industry Chamber of Costa Rica. This project was executed by The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) which is an intergovernmental organization promoting the sustainable management and conservation of tropical forests and the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests.CoverUpper Canada | SierraClarke Veneers and PlywoodIWPAUSplyFloor & DécorTable of ContentsAlan McIlvain CompanyAmerican Hardwood Export CouncilUSDA APHISFrom The ForestImpulse Trading Co.A Stunning Boardwalk Meant to ImpressInterholcoETT Fine WoodsThe Beauty of the Ocean Framed by Wood in Every RoomUCS Forest GroupMcCrorry & Co., Ltd.Tropical Hardwoods are Cut Above the Rest in Outdoor LivingJ. Gibson McIlvainEnsuring Responsibly Sourced WoodOlam AgriMcCathay Timber, Inc.Malaysian Timber CouncilCelebrating the Quiet Power of Wood in SculptureMowry GrimsonThe Golden Bee Has a Mysterious and Intriguing Origin StoryArgo Fine ImportsOpen Joint Rainscreen SidingGhana Forestry CommissionGenesis Products Inc.Stunning New Product DesignsA Marriage of Technology and Traditional CraftsmanshipNewman Lumber CompanyA Blend of Artistry and ExecutionHolland Southwest InternationalRex LumberDel Valle, Kahman & CoSouth Jersey Port CorpHardwood Market ReportBuyers GuideNorth American Importers, Users, DistributorsNorth American Importers, Users, Distributors 2North American Importers, Users, Distributors 3North American Importers, Users, Distributors 4Overseas MembersOverseas Members 2Subsidiary Members | Association MembersGuide to the AdvertisersIke Trading Co., Ltd.SarawakIron WoodsTimberbase