# Haitian catalpa and those #*$&#^@ botanists



## phinds (Oct 9, 2016)

A rant. 

One thing I HATE about the botanical classification of "wood" is that it ISN'T a classification of wood, it's a classification of those damned TREE things that I know so little about and there are times where botanists, based on external characteristics like leaf shape, lump together trees for which the wood inside is completely different. 

I just ran across another example of that, which is Haitian catalpa / Catalpa longissima. When compared to what we in the USA think of as catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides and Catalpa speciosa), the wood looks like a completely different species. Just to show you what I mean, here are a couple of end grains



 
Catalpa speciosa; clearly ring porous






Catalpa longissima; clearly diffuse porous

You can see all the pics of each on my site: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/catalpa.htm


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## DKMD (Oct 9, 2016)

Maybe you should send those rat bastards an email with the photos explaining the errors of their ways...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## phinds (Oct 9, 2016)

DKMD said:


> Maybe you should send those rat bastards an email with the photos explaining the errors of their ways...


I'm often tempted but I figure they'd just laugh and send me back a picture of a leaf. Or worse yet, SEVERAL leaves.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Kevin (Oct 9, 2016)

Paul you can't trust the Haitians - everyone knows that.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## HomeBody (Oct 10, 2016)

I didn't think there was a single tree left growing in Haiti. Gary


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## Palaswood (Oct 10, 2016)

Found this on google maps - a screen shot from one of those photospheres on a secluded beach in Haiti. Now I'm not certain, but I just may be able to find a tree or two to harvest amongst this landscape.


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## phinds (Oct 10, 2016)

Yeah, even I, who know nothing about trees, am pretty sure at least one of those things in the middle near the water is probably a tree.


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## Palaswood (Oct 10, 2016)

I would have a field day with a bowsaw and a hatchet. Just leave me be, come back in 10 years to find a bustling port city built completely out of wood

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kevin (Oct 10, 2016)

Haiti is beautiful. Was even more beautiful before the natives raped the land. Speaking of rape - it wasn't even considered a serious crime there until just 10 years ago. Rape is still common - yes I said *common*. The victims are often shunned by the family and put out to pasture. Yes I said the *victims *not the lowlife thugs that do it! Haiti is a mucked up place. Not saying everyone who lives there are bad apples but overall their society is barbaric and criminalized. Pretty sure the government is one of the most corrupt there is also.


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## phinds (Oct 10, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Pretty sure the government is one of the most corrupt there is also.


Yeah, it has been every since Papa Doc took over MANY years ago. Not sure about before that.


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## Kevin (Oct 10, 2016)

phinds said:


> Yeah, it has been every since Papa Doc took over MANY years ago. Not sure about before that.



I had to refresh my memory. This surely doesn't cover the history in detail but you can tell it's been an effed up situation since it was "discovered". First by Anglo conquest and after they got rid of the imperialists they've run the country even worse.

Looks like Papa Doc died in 1971 and his 19 year old son Baby Doc took over and ran the place until 1986 when Ronnie Reagan forced him out of office.

In February of this year - Michel Martelly a.k.a. Sweet Micky stepped down as president without handing power to a successor after the run-off presidential election was postponed indefinitely. So evidently Haiti doesn't have anyone running it right now except probably the Haitian mob. 

Haiti Timeline.


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## Palaswood (Oct 10, 2016)

woah bummer. About the wood though... They got any good wood down there in Hispaniola?


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## HomeBody (Oct 11, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> woah bummer. About the wood though... They got any good wood down there in Hispaniola?



Go to Google Earth and check out the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. No trees/trees. Exactly the same as the Mexican/Guatemalan border. Gary

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Palaswood (Oct 11, 2016)

Wow that's awful. Seems they clear cut much of the countryside and never replanted... - You can see that Dominicans have much more forested land, and they even have a national park. Obviously more responsible with their ecosystem... 

That's too bad. That forest looks thick on the DR side, and was probably similar on the Haiti side at one point.


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## Kevin (Oct 11, 2016)

HomeBody said:


> Go to Google Earth and check out the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. No trees/trees. Exactly the same as the Mexican/Guatemalan border. Gary



I posted an image of that of this forum a few years ago. I didn't grab this one off google images this time though I went to G Maps and took a screen shot of it myself. This is only about a 3 mile stretch of border but it's similar just about anywhere you want to look.


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## Palaswood (Oct 11, 2016)

Yes that's a very close up shot though, maybe a few square miles? But it does illustrate your point. As woodworkers, I think we can understand a poor nation using the resources that it has available to it. It's a shame they didn't replant though.


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## Kevin (Oct 11, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> Yes that's a very close up shot though, maybe a few square miles? ...





Kevin said:


> ...This is only about a 3 mile stretch of border but it's similar just about anywhere you want to look. ...

Reactions: Like 1


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## Palaswood (Oct 11, 2016)

Kevin said:


>

Reactions: Funny 1


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