Ecuador supplies 95 percent of commercial balsa wood in the world

wikipedia.org…Ecuador supplies 95 percent or more of commercial balsa. In recent years, about 60 percent of the balsa has been plantation grown in densely packed patches of around 1000 trees per hectare (compared to about two to three per hectare in nature). It is evergreen or dry-season deciduous, with large (30–50 cm or 12–20 in) weakly palmately lobed leaves. Being a deciduous angiosperm, balsa is classified as a hardwood despite the wood itself being very soft. It is the softest commercial hardwood. The trees are harvested after six to 10 years of growth. The name balsa comes from the Spanish word for “raft”.[3] Read Article

IF YOU LIVE IN ECUADOR, YOU WILL HAVE A MUCH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURE AFTER READING THIS BOOK</a>