Smithsonian.com

Thank you for posting this article on renewed interest in bamboo as an eco-friendly material. I especially appreciate the information near the end of the article, warning us to be conscious of how the bamboo is processed. Whether buying a lovely silk-like dress or a bamboo breadboard, make sure the manufacturer uses safe, non-caustic materials to extract fibers or glue the pieces together. For more information on bamboo, your readers may be interested in my Squidoo lens, That's bamboo? Wow!.

I grew up in S. Jacksonville, Fla and a robust stand of bamboo existed just up from the St. Johns River. As kids we loved to make pea shooters out of it and other delicate wood like things. Will rely on the scientists to tell us its myriad domestic uses. Hope there are many...its pretty.

I have a friend with a family plot of land that is just sitting growing up to seed. Would this be a lucrative venture in America.

Bamboo has some great qualities, but is it sound ecologically to promote the planting of non-native species given the major problem with invasives - at least in the United States? The fast growing nature of bamboo and its adaptibility are exactly the type of characterstics that will allow it to compete very well with natives.

Surely we can grow bamboo in U.S. Atleast in more temperate climate areas. If processing for certain uses adds to global warming, does it do so less, maybe, than producing the material it's to replace in a given application ? There's almost nothing we manufacture that doesn't add to global warming. Of course the sun adds a lot to global warming, but we do need the sun, you know, for growing food, grass, trees and all the green plants that take in Carbon dioxide and put oxygen back into the air.

It's beautiful IF contained. The best way I have seen is to surround it with a cement barrier that goes deeper than the roots can go. If you get a spreading type, you are sure to have neighbor issues. Containers are one answer to the problem.

It sounds like much more work is needed to properly evaluate bamboo for building- is it "green" overall or not?. And it sounds like we need to begin to grow more bamboo in the U.S.

My son bought bamboo flooring last year. The formaldehyde odor was so strong they had to take it back. The company replaced it with Bamboo that was NOT FROM CHINA.

I love bamboo! It grows in my yard. I grew up making fishing poles out of it. I recently purchased some bamboo roving and spun it into yarn on my spinning wheel and knitted a lovely shiny top out of it using knitting needles made from bamboo. I'm glad to see it becoming more popular. Grasses are more sustainable than trees and grows so much faster. The runners do make you crazy, but they do mow off if you catch them early enough.

I love my bamboo socks...they're soft, warm and seem to wash well...LMW

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/supergreen_boards.php has an article on eco-friendly bamboo skate boards.

Is the climate of the mountain area in New Mexico condusive to growing bamboo?

Nancy Moore Bess says: "Consumers should check that the product is made responsibly." Ok, mind telling us how to do that? I've read similar non-specific advice on several websites, but there's no way for consumers to prove manufacturer's claims, assuming the manufacturer even makes such a claim. Interpretations of of "responsibly" vary widely but there's no single definitive source of information for would-be conscientious consumers.

The article implied that bamboo is somehow superior and more environmentally sensitive than North America's own native woods--red oak, maple, birch, pine, etc. The temperate forests of North America produce, on a sustainable basis, beautiful, durable, and most of all, locally produced wood products. The United States has over 80,000 certified tree farms that are managed by dedicated landowners with a long-term plan for their forests. In New Hampshire, most harvests (for forest management) are done on a selective and sustainable basis; the work is accomplished by trained loggers and licensed foresters. Much of the wood is sawn locally by companies which provide stable jobs and support rural economies. Bamboo simply does not compare!

Is the bamboo that's grown in the United States the same bamboo that the panda bears eat? Because it completely dies out every so many years.

I lived in Florida for 20 years and I had a clump of bamboo in my front yard And as one lady mentioned mowing kept it confined. I now live in Arkansas and the weather here is mild. Would bamboo survive here and if so where could I get a start?

I have linnen made of bamboo. I LOVE it! It is SO soft and silky. Absolutely fantastic. Highly recommend

Who knows where you'll find bamboo. Recently i made a pair of socks for my sister and was very surprised to find the yarn was a combination of wool and bamboo!! she says the socks are warm and comfortable.

The article mention the "green" qualities of bamboo in that i"it can detoxify wastewater, thanks to its high nitrogen consumption. It sequesters four times as much carbon as hardwood trees, and generates up to 35 percent more oxygen" Wouldn't these qualities of Bamboo be useful along riverbanks or estuaries where pollution is affecting water quality? Even though it is a non-native species, it benefits to the environment offsets the non-native aspect. Even with Global Warming, many ecosystems are going to experience a disruption as non-native species begin to colonize the new ecological niches that the changing climate has created.

S.S.Smith's comment is so relevant,and succinctly states why bamboo and native wood are not really comparable. Bamboo is a versatile & beautiful material, and sure grows quickly, but it's not" greener " than oak, or maple, etc., when it is highly processed into substitute products.

There are many mis conceptions about bamboo. I thought this article addresses some of them very well. Bamboo is a very hardy plant and if you plant it outside, it should be in a pot or it will eventually become your yard. I sell Bamboo flooring for commercial and residential use, and it is as hard as red oak, and cheaper. The man whose son had a formaldehide smell was due to his poor shopping and shoddy research. There are many brabds of Bamboo that are now made without it at all. The newer factories in China are capturing the chemicals instead of dupmping them into a river. These bamboo boards look just like wood, install like wood, and with a standard 7 layers of polyurethane on better Bamboo, it will wear better than most wood floors. It doesn't react to moisture the way that wood does, making it ideal for a lower level, or basement. Do your own research people...... Have a Green Day !

Great article! Just like everything printed in Smithsonian! It's great to know that we can save our trees and protect the environment, and still have needed lumber. For now, I have been growing some for its lovely, graceful foliage, IN A POT.

I have a friend in NC who has been tearing her hair out for years because the bamboo that keeps coming back in her yard is just the most tenacious of weeds to her. Is there any market for her "cash crop" that I can forward to her? She is unable to work and sure could use the income. Thanks for the interesting and informative article!

this bamboo kind of thing is very interesting to me thats mostly all about it!

There is an American Bamboo Society, which would probably be able to answer many of the questions asked within these postings. http://www.americanbamboo.org/