Grow Your Own Balsa Tree

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

As you may have already heard, there's a world wide shortage of Balsa wood available.

One reason for this is the proliferation of wind generators and their need for blades.  At least, that's the rumor.

But for whatever reason, the supply of balsa wood products has dried up, and many model rocket manufacturers have turned to blown plastic nosecones and fin cans, etc.

As a result, I have been on a campaign to save my balsa scraps and flashing from laser cut fins. And I always urge others to do the same. You can sometimes fix or replace a broken fin or strut for a low power rocket from these salvaged parts.

However, if you have land in the deep south...and by that, I mean REALLY far South... like Central America or South America,  you could consider an investment in balsa wood trees.

Now, I know it's not very likely for you to plant a plantation and harvest a forest, and find a saw mill to plane some wood and ship it back to the USA....

but consider for a moment the possibility of someone who owns a lot in southern Florida...say, Miami, Naples, Fort Myers or the everglades. 

 Might it be possible to plant at least an ornamental tree or perhaps on some unused grass land in the interior, a row or two of these trees?

The first question is whether the climate is right, and there remains some doubt if the porous wood tree would survive the hot dry conditions that sometime plague Florida or Texas.

Second, how to these tree propagate?  Do they have nuts, or seeds, or shoots?  Just what might you need to start a seedling?  

Third, are there any known pests or insects that might ravage the tree?  There are now fire ants in Florida, and as a soft wood, I am certain that they might be an easy target for such a tree.

All three of these questions can be answered by your local agricultural agent. They are commonly associated with either the state university or agricultural college.  And you can probably answer a few through a google search.

You may not want to invest in a get rich quick scheme, but for retirement, you might want to invest in a few trees on your property to harvest in a few years and pass onto Balsa Wood Machining.

It's worth thinking about.

This has been the Thrifty Rocketeer blog... saying, "Save your Balsa Wood scrap!"