30 | Sector Focus: Tropical Timber
SUMMARY
■ Ecochoice was established 20 years ago
■The log ban from West Africa has created challenges
■Ecochoice now offers clear Canadian Douglas fir as a substitute for Siberian larch
■ It continues to promote lesser- known tropical species as a responsible option
AND CONFIDENCE IN TROPICAL
COMMITMENT
TTJ consultant editor Mike Jeffree talks to Mike Bekin of tropical specialist Ecochoice on latest market developments
Cambridge-based Ecochoice was established 20 years ago, and its timber finds its way into multifarious applications from decking and cladding for residential developments, to beams for timber frame buildings, heavyweight fenders and groynes for civil and marine projects and sleepers for landscaping and rail industries. It supplies lumber and wood products in temperate hardwoods, clear and treated modified softwood plus thermo-treated timber. But it has a particular name for its broad range of certified tropical timber. On its website www.
ecochoice.co.uk it reels off around 100 species that it offers.
Above: Ecochoice supplied heavyweight greenheart fenders for this marine civil engineering project
When the company launched in 2005, founder director Mike Bekin said there was very little knowledge in the specification market about tropical species, and even less about their traceability. “We wanted to close this knowledge gap, since we saw the use of sustainably sourced tropical species as the neatest solution for protecting endangered forests while providing the UK market with durable low carbon solutions,” he said in a previous TTJ article. Using a broader spread of tropical timber, Ecochoice contends, is good for the forest and makes certification more economically viable. “The use of lesser-known species helps to lower the pressure on the few famous ones and, from the sustainable forest management perspective, means there is more yield per
TTJ | November/December 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
hectare,” said Mr Bekin. “It makes the whole operation more viable, so ultimately there’s more certified wood for everyone.” Ecochoice describes itself as passionate about supplying clients with independently certified timber products while encouraging responsible and sustainable practices at source level. TTJ caught up with Mr Bekin again recently to ask how business has developed since we spoke last. He acknowledged that the tropical sector has not been plain sailing of late but, while continuing to develop its broader portfolio, Ecochoice’s commitment to certified tropical hardwoods and its confidence in the technical and environmental benefits of using it clearly remains undiminished.
TTJ: HOW HAS THE MARKET FOR TROPICAL TIMBER BEEN OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS ? Mike Bekin: We’ve had quite a volatile year, especially since the log ban from West Africa. This means we’ve had to adapt how to source and offer large or long beams in ekki and opepe.
TTJ: WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MAIN MARKET DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES? MB: Right now, the market is sending mixed messages. While most say it’s not great, we haven’t seen any major car crashes yet. The confusion with implementation of the EU
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