Negative Environmental Impacts Of Using Palm Leaves For Roofing Thatch
flame retardantIt’s common to harvest palm leaves for roofing thatch around the globe. For example, in the Bobonaza River valley in Ecuadorian Amazonia, the leaves harvested from the wayuri palm (Pholidostachys synanthera) work well on homes. They’re locally available, unlike many other forms of roofing materials. That would be fine if palm was just used locally. Yet, these days, an increase of palm leaves for thatching of resorts and other structures creates depleted populations.
See, even though local rules exist to manage palm leaf harvesting, they’re not very effective. Here’s why. They regulate the intensity of the harvest itself, but not the frequency of harvesting. So, when harvests are repeated numerously, a negative long-term effect grows. That’s happening now. The environmental impact of using palm leaves for roof thatching grows.
At Endureed, we can’t fathom adding to this environmental danger when products like our synthetic thatch last significantly longer than natural palm thatch anyway. Our synthetic palm thatch looks just like natural thatch, but it lasts decades. In just a few years, our thatch costs less after you consider maintenance costs. Plus, you don’t have to spray it with chemical pesticides or flame retardants. You just install it and forget it. Plus, our products are made from a great deal of recycled materials and are 100 percent recyclable. People think natural palm leaf thatching is the greener route, but we disagree.
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Whether you’re interested in roofing an indoor gazebo or an entire hotel, we’d love to help you choose the right product for the job.
Check out our synthetic thatch roofing materials now to find one that’s right for you:
- Capetown– A trimmed, coarsely textured, longer reed. Replicates African Yellow Grass or “Cape Reed” that replicates the typical African style thatching.
- Kilimanjaro– A heavy reed replicating a traditional weathered, Tanzanian cape reed roof.
- Somerset– A closely tapered, slightly weathered appearing shingle. Replicates a typical, hand trimmed European thatching.
- Kona– A combination of wide leaf and smaller grass reed. Replicates the look of Hawaiian “Pili Grass” and Asian Alang-Alang grass thatching.
- Dominica– A synthetic palm leaf style thatching. Replicates palm leaves commonly used in tropical regions throughout the world.
- Bali– A finer, loosely tapered, slightly longer shingle designed to resemble the appearance of East Asian grass thatching.
- Viva Series– An especially economical synthetic palm thatch.
Plus, we’d be happy to show you how Endureed can provide you with the perfect synthetic thatch roofing for your needs. So, call us at 877-784-2824 or get in touch with us online to learn more.