Greenheart Marine Piling

Greenheart Piling is a product of Greenheart Wood – a distinctive wood with substance, grown predominantly in the tropical rainforest of Guyana. Greenheart Piling is renowned for its high bending strength and durability. Greenheart wood is infamous for its use in the most extreme of conditions, making it the timber of choice for both salt water and fresh water applications. Greenheart Pilings are known to be resistant to marine borers and decay. No preservative treatment is needed since Greenheart’s natural preservatives will not dissolve, making it a green solution.

Greenheart known scientifically as Chlorocardium rodiei (syn. Ocotea rodiei) is a specie of hardwood that is synonymous with strength and durability. Greenheart has been used for centuries as a material for hydraulic engineering structures. It is the preferred choice of timber for use in groynes to retain and control beaches, revetments, and bank protection as well as piers, jetties, lock gates and navigation structures.

Though Greenheart can be found in commercial quantities in the tropical rainforest of Guyana, the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has played an instrumental role over the years in heavily regulating its production where every tree must meet certain specifications before being felled. Once harvested, the trees are tagged and tracked through the manufacturing process all the way through delivery to the consumer. These practices help to sustainably managing the forest and  prevent undersized trees from being harvested and the specie becoming depleted.

One of the most outstanding characteristics of greenheart as well as other tropical hardwoods, is its resistance to decay and unwanted pests. Marine borers, termites and other wood-eating insects shy away from attacking Greenheart because of its hardness and naturally occurring oils. The dense properties of tropical hardwood also help increase the longevity of the wood. Greenheart has been known to last more than 100 years in some applications, but it is safe to expect that it will last 50 years under almost all circumstances.

Greenheart has a combination of properties, which make it a very competitive choice of material for marine applications.

These properties include:

• Natural Durability and Resistant to Marine Organisms
• High strength to Weight Ratio
• Renewable and Environmentally Responsible
• “Class A” Fire Rating
• Readily available

Mechanical Properties: (First set of data based on the 2-cm standard; second on the 2-in. standard)

Although alternatives such as concrete, steel and rock have become more popular, Greenheart  remains ideal for the most extreme conditions while still offering the advantages of sustainability, cost and appearance.

Size Info:

Round

• Butt Diameter:  14″ – 18″
• Lengths:  16′ – 70′

Square/Hewn

• 6″ x 6″ to 18″ x 18″
• Lengths:  16′ – 40′