As major regions in the world struggle through the some of the worst droughts condition in their modern day histories, conserving what we have is imperative.

But it’s also important to look at one of the main causes.

Did you know that deforestation, through logging, agricultural production and other economic activities, adds more atmospheric carbon dixode than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world’s roads?

Yup, those dirty tree huggers were onto something.

You see, whilst drought is usually thought of as a natural disaster beyond human control, researchers who are closely studying the Earth’s changing bio-climate are starting to better appreciate the crucial role that deforestation plays.

And they have an idea of how you, the consumer, can help: stop buying hardwood, among other wood products. Here’s why:

A fully grown hardwood tree releases 1 000 litres of water vapour a day into the atmosphere: the entire Amazon rainforest sends up 20 billion tons of water vapour each day.

Tropical hardwood rainforests are vital for a stable global climate; they are particularly valuable for carbon sequestration, absorbing around 18% of all global carbon emissions. They also store vast amounts of water and is home to more than half the world’s living plant and animal species.

Clearly, we are all threatened when rainforests are destroyed, because they are actually the “green lungs of the earth”:

People who seek out, prefer and buy tropical hardwoods should be aware of the dire consequences their choices are having on the planet. They should also realise that their beautiful teak deck and mahogany cupboard are indirectly the cause of the destruction of endangered hardwoods such as Mahogany, Balau, Meranti, Red Stinkwood, Oak, Rosewood, Cedar and Imbuia and one of the major causes of climate change.

Given that we are in the midst of a hectic drought (worst in 100 years or not), we’d do well to heed this advice.

So what is the timber alternative that’ll give you the same, or even enhanced, hardwood characteristics?

Enter Rhino Wood: The perfect timber substitute for threatened tropical hardwoods. Using only locally sourced, sustainable SA pine, there is no question as to where the timber comes from.

The patented Rhino Wood process involves thermally modifying the timber, followed by an impregnation with a wax compound that contains zero harmful chemicals.

The result is highly improved dimensional stability and an exceptional durability class rating of 1 (the highest rating possible; other thermally modified timbers are rated as 2).

Rhino Wood is suited to indoor and outdoor applications, and is available in different lengths, widths and thicknesses.

And remember, there’s no such thing as environmentally friendly harvested tropical hardwoods. That’s because there is no way to responsibly ‘disturb’ a rainforest that is ecologically sound or sustainable.

Nature knows best and ain’t to be messed with, and every Capetonian knows what can happen when things don’t go to plan.

If you’re keen to find out more about Rhino Wood then pop over here.