I’ve been around skateboarding long enough to see some goofy shit pop up in skateboard manufacturing. Like aluminum decks or a Port-a-board or plethora of other shit that anyone who skates, wouldn’t give a second glance. Well, now there is a real reason to be searching for a viable replacement for wood. According to The Science Channel,  skateboards have replaced furniture as the leading contributor to maple deforestation. The Canadian maple tree takes 40 to 60 years to mature before it can be cut down to make skate decks. That sucks that skateboarding is a big part of the problem. However there’s a newer source that can and should replace the Maple tree, it’s bamboo. Bamboo has been used in skateboard manufacturing for quite a while, usually in addition to the standard maple veneers. Now Oceanside, CA based OEM BambooSk8 has 100% Bamboo Decks that are virtually unbreakable. I have yet to try one out, and I’m sure there are many drawbacks to a Bamboo deck, like price. But check out the benefits, according to Bambooska8.

It grows fast.

• Bamboo is not a tree—it’s a grass, and it grows like one. Many species of bamboo can grow two feet or more a day.
• When it’s harvested, it need not be replanted, because it will grow a new shoot from its extensive root system, often 4 to 5 new shoots.
• It renews itself readily, unlike hardwood trees, which, once cut, are gone forever. Canadian Maple trees take around 40-60 years to mature before they can be cut down.  Bamboo is an endless renewable resource.
• Skateboarding is the #31 contributor to deforestation in North America and #1 contributor to maple in particular.

It enhances the environment.

• Farmed bamboo stabilizes the earth with its roots, preventing erosion.
• It takes in greenhouse gasses and produces oxygen. In fact 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
• It can also provide habitat for birds and animals (though our bamboo is not preferred by pandas, and is therefore panda-safe).
• In nature, bamboo filters heavy metals from groundwater and removes four times more carbon dioxide from the air than an equivalent-size stand of trees.

If you’ve ridden a bamboo deck, I would love to get your feedback.