What's so special about koa anyway?

Well its rare, and its getting rarer.  Its also beautiful.  Koa: Acacia koa is an endemic native hardwood tree found on all of the major hawaiian islands, though it's scarcity is becoming apparent.  Listed as a threatened tree by most forestry and hardwoods guide books it is not technically endangered, however The Sierra Club notes "that native koa forest ecosystems have shrunk to less than ten percent of their former area. The exploitation of koa forested lands for urban development, ranching, koa and hapu`u logging continues. The severe impacts of introduced weed and animal species are escalating. The remaining koa forests represent a last haven for many rare, threatened or endangered species of endemic birds, insects and plants."

So the big deal is this:  there is a serious disconnect between the consequence of the demand from typically sourced Koa, and the effect that this demand has on the native ecosystem. Woodworkers will tell you, that the market demands Koa.   Furniture, instruments, bowls, and interior flooring and trim drive an insatiable market for this product that is largely supplied through trees cut down in ranch pasture areas that were once the majestic dominant species of bygone native forests.  Cattle and other herbivores ensure that no keiki trees grow up in their place, and the lifecycle is broken.  The ecosystem further contracts and another table or dresser hits the market. 

We have just milled a selection of koa reclaimed from a few removed diseased trees at a residential property in Kamuela.  We have approximately 500 board ft to offer in mostly 8/4 thickness.  Below are the photos.

As well we have just milled a small crotch base of a relative of the koa, the Acacia Koaia, native and endemic only to the Kohala Mountains.  Koaia is much denser and typically darker than Koa.

Koaia (in stock)

Curly Koa ( in stock)

Koa ( In stock and just milled) SOLD

Curly Koaia ( in stock and just milled)