SOME ASPECTS OF THE BAMBOO FOREST ACTING AS THE ECOSYSTEM

BAMBOO: dimensions and diffusion: bamboo is an evergreen and highly vigorous plant. It is a graminaceous plant whose dimensions vary considerably from one species to another (from a few centres to 40 metres in height), and is spread mainly around Asia and America, with a small number in Africa and Oceania, and nothing in Europe. It breeds in both the cold climates of Eastern Siberia and in tropical climates. Some species (including Mao Bamboo) grow extremely quickly (up to a metre per day), however most commonly grow approximately 5-10 cm per day.

WOOD OR BAMBOO, the differences: the most interesting difference for us between wood and bamboo is that the latter propagates into the environment via an underground network of rhizomes (roots), from which sprouts emerge constantly. The sprout turns into a culm, and reaches maximum height and thickness in one single season (3 or 4 months), before it becomes hard and increases in density over the next three to four years. 

A RENEWABLE RESOURCE: Here it is clear that the fundamental difference between the timber woodland and a bamboo forest is the eco-sustainability in the first instance where the “entire capital” or part of it is intended to grow for a very long period, whilst in the second instance only the “interest” is taken from the continuous and steady growth of the culms after several years. This results in annual forest cutting in the region of approximately 20%.

In fact it is common practice in forest management to write the year of birth on each plant so that the specific plant and not just the side can be cut, the latter of which may only have two years worth of life. For this reason, it is interesting to note that bamboo covered mountains are never ruined by deforestation, but they remain intact.another interesting element related to the forest ecosystem or bamboo plantation is that the soil beneath the bamboo tree is colonised for a depth ranging from 70 to 100 cm as part of a genuine underground structure of all the relative rhizomatic and compact roots,