Having had thousands of years of
experience, bamboo foresters have
learned how to manage bamboo
forests for maximum long-term yield
and minimum impact on the environment.

Bamboo is not farmed, but harvested
from its natural environment. Bamboo
is never clear-cut. A bamboo forest
always contains stalks at all stages
of growth. This means that harvesting
bamboo has a minimal impact on the
local ecosystem.

ecostrong goes to great lengths to ensure only the top grade raw bamboo goes into our product .

Age is an important factor in determining the quality of the bamboo. The Moso bamboo used to make bamboo flooring reaches maturity after 5 years. As the bamboo ages it becomes harder and loses flexibility. After 10 years, the bamboo becomes too brittle to be used in flooring.

ecostrong uses bamboo aged 7-9 years to ensure maximum hardness and flexibility in its flooring.

Size is also an important factor in determining when bamboo is harvested. Bamboo that is too small cannot be formed into the strips used to make the flooring (this is discussed in detail in the "Milling" section). ecostrong only uses bamboo trees that are at least 10cm wide at a height of 1.5m. This ensures that the bamboo is of sufficient size and will not be wasted.

Finally, the harvested bamboo must be straight and the skin must be smooth and undamaged. Wormholes and abrasions to the skin is an indication of internal discoloration and weakened bamboo. Bamboo sometimes has a gully or deep groove running lengthwise up the stalk that makes it unsuitable for use as flooring. Therefore, all bamboo used in ecostrong flooring is thoroughly inspected for quality before it reaches processing.