Koa: The Royal Hawaiian Hardwood

From deep in the lush tropical rain forests of Hawaii comes koa, an exotic hardwood of beauty, strength and practicality. Called the Queen of Hawaiian hardwood, koa, found only in the 50th state, is recognized as its finest hardwood.

Characterized by fluted, crooked main stems which break up into massive, wide spreading branches, the koa sawtimber trees are normally at least 18" in diameter,

Story at a Glance

Lovely koa wood is found only in the tropical rain forests of Hawaii. in addition to local market, Japan and West Goast U.S. are big buyers of timber and flitches.

although about l0o/o of those harvested have a diameter in excess of 40." A tree usually contains two 16' sawlogs.

The color of koa varies greatly. Heartwood may be pale blonde, various shades of reddish-brown or chocolate brown. Usually lustrous, it is often prominently marked by dark streaks in the growth rings. The most common color is reddishbrown.

" Koa has density of 38 lbs. per cu. ft. (specific gravity 0.55) when air dry. This density is identical to that of black walnut (Juglans nigra) with which wood koa compares quite closely in most technical properties.

"The wood has a slight edge on walnut in shrinkage owing to greater uniformity of shrinkage in the radial and tangential directions. Once dried, koa remains stable and moves in place only slightly with changes in relative humidity.

"Except in rare, very dense pieces, koa seasons well, with very little warp or checking. It is much less prone to degrade in seasoning than is black walnut. It stays in place when seasoned about as well as walnut. Products such as deep calabashes and bowls that would be impossible to make from solid walnut because of checking in dry-

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HlGlltY 0lUEnSE in color and grain, about 85% of all koa produced is manufactured by Campbell-Burns, Hilo, Hi. They are involved in logging, hauling and sawing koa sawtimber into lumber and f litches.

Confidence , We have it in the consistent quality of Rogge studs. And'confidence' is exactly what the Ken Rogge Lumber Company has in the Sunrise Forest Products sales orqanization,

So, for those premium quality studs and, for that matter, all species of Western lumber and plywood, we are the people to call, Our cu.stomers and suppliers alike come to us with, what else, conlfdence.

Meet the people ofour San Clemente ofrce: Allan Bufkin, Janet Shaw and introducing our newest member Tbnas De Jong. They are a vital part ofour Sunrise team of established professionals,

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