Logs are produced within VWL’s concessions and are harvested under strict guidelines by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). 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 mandatory practices thwart undersized trees from being harvested and aids in the forest being sustainably managed.
Greenheart – Chlorocardiurn rodiaei (syn. Ocotea rodiei)
Wood Appearance:
Heartwood tends to be a light greenish yellow to dark olive-green, occasionally marked with brown or black streaks. Texture fine and even and grain straight or interlocked with good natural luster. The bole is 15-23m in length with a diameter of 35-60 cm.
Purpleheart – Peltogyne pubescens
Wood Appearance
Dull brown when freshly cut, rapidly oxidizes to violet-purple on exposure to light and gradually toning down in course of time to dark purplish-brown. Sapwood whitish or cream colored. Grain generally straight, sometimes wavy or interlocked. Texture moderate to fine.
Kabukalli – Goupia glabra
Wood Appearance
Heartwood light reddish-brown of plain appearance, darkening on exposure. Grain straight, sometimes interlocked, texture medium to coarse and rather harsh. The freshly cut timber has an unpleasant odor which is lost on drying.
Tatabu – Diplotropis purpurea
Wood Appearance
Heartwood dark chocolate-brown in colour with conspicuous paler markings, giving a decorative appearance which may be enhanced on quarter surface by a striped figure. Sapwood whitish, sharply demarcated from heartwood. Grain interlocked; sometimes irregular texture moderately coarse.
Shibadan – Aspidosperma album
Wood Appearance
Tan to rose-red, often streaked with purple or brown and becoming brownish yellow to medium brown on exposure. Sapwood yellowish, paler than heartwood but not sharply demarcated. Grain straight to irregular, texture fine and uniform.
Mora – Mora excelsa
Wood Appearance
Mora heartwood varies from chocolate-brown to reddish-brown. Has a straight to interlocked grain, with a medium to coarse texture. Good natural luster.
Wamara – Swartzia leiocalycina
Wood Appearance
Heartwood chocolate to purplish brown with darker purple streaks, giving the wood and attractive appearance. White sap wood, pale in color, sharply demarcated from heartwood. Grain straight sometimes irregular. Texture fine.