Most people know balsa wood as the super light-weight wood used for making...

October 10, 2016

Most people know balsa wood as the super light-weight wood used for making little glider airplanes. Several of our artisan partners use it for making turtle, armadillo and other Amazon animal ornaments. While we normally only buy crafts from non-timber products, balsa grows so easily and so fast that there's no danger about over-exploiting it. Camino Verde has a bunch of balsa wood trees growing at its farm on the Tambopata River. Its fruit is a tall spike that's full of fluff when mature. This fluff may have some commercial use, but it's fun to play with.




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