How to Correctly Choose Bamboo Products in Different Climates？

Choosing Sustainable Outdoor Bamboo Products for Harsh Climates

Constructing a deck in an area with extreme weather conditions like intense heat, severe cold, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, ice, and snow requires additional considerations to guarantee the longevity and stability of the deck, avoiding issues like warping, cupping, bowing, and twisting of bamboo products.

When choosing outdoor bamboo deck, wall siding or other outdoor products, it is important to consider the different weather conditions and environments they will be exposed to outdoor materials that are eco-friendly and sustainable are popular among consumers. However, due to exposure to outdoor elements such as high humidity, high temperature, UV radiation, and microbial erosion, the materials can be severely damaged.

To ensure a lifespan of 25 years or more, it is crucial to choose high-quality outdoor strand woven / fused bamboo products ( How to identify the quality of strand woven bamboo products ), avoid using plain-pressed or side-pressed compressed bamboo materials, and take into account the specific weather conditions in the area. This will minimize waste of forest resources, lower carbon emissions and protect our beautiful planet.

The above image shows the distribution of the major climate types on Earth. When choosing outdoor materials, it is important to consider the specific climate characteristics of the area. By taking into account factors such as resistance to decay, mold, termites, stability and lifespan, you can select materials that will perform better in the climate of your region. It can also be helpful to refer to the climate map to determine the climate type in your area and choose materials that are suitable for that type of climate.

Tropical Desert Climate

The tropical desert climate is characterized by high temperatures, low precipitation, and high evaporation rates. They are typically located near the equator and are known for their arid and semi-arid conditions. When customers in the tropical desert climate type regions choose outdoor products, according to the high temperature and hot, and perennial dry characteristics, general quality products are easy to cause deformation and cracking due to high temperature weather.

Therefore, it is necessary to choose excellent products, but the requirements for mold and insect resistance can be relaxed. When selecting products, it is possible to let the factories lower the water content appropriately, such as 6-10%, so that the products can better suit the use of the environment, prevent the bending and deformation of the products.

Some representative areas and countries that have tropical desert climates include:

• The Sahara Desert in Africa
• The Arabian Desert in the Middle East
• The Thar Desert in India and Pakistan
• The Atacama Desert in South America
• The Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa
• The Great Victoria Desert in Australia
• The Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Tropical Rainforest Climate

Tropical rainforest are characterized by high temperatures and high rainfall, with an annual precipitation of typically over 2,000 mm. These areas are known for their lush vegetation, biodiversity, and high humidity. Due to the high temperature and humidity, outdoor bamboo products installed in these environments are prone to mold and termite infestation, causing significant damage to the products.

Therefore, for tropical rainforest climates, we recommend selecting outdoor bamboo products that have been specially treated for deep mold and pest resistance, and must meet environmental protection requirements. These products can perform excellently in preventing pests, corrosion, and mold even in environments by the river, sea, or forest parks that are dim and damp.

Customers in these areas should be especially cautious when choosing outdoor products, especially low-priced bamboo products, which are often of inferior quality, only simply treated on the surface, and usually appear to crack, deform, and mold after several months, which seriously affects the appearance. Also, bamboo products that have only been heat-treated cannot be chosen. Please refer to this article: Can heat-treated bamboo effectively prevent mold?

ANOS® outdoor bamboo product is a highly mold-resistant and corrosion-resistant material. It goes through a heat treatment process and then uses special techniques to thoroughly remove sugar and starch from the bamboo material which greatly improves its anti-mold properties, corrosion resistance, and strength.

Some representative areas and countries that have tropical rainforest climates include:

• The Amazon rainforest in South America (covering countries such as Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador)
• The Congo Basin in Central Africa (covering countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Central African Republic)
• The Rainforests of Southeast Asia (covering countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea)
• The Rainforests of South Asia (covering countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh)
• The Rainforests of Central America (covering countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras)
• The Rainforests of West Africa (covering countries such as Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone)
• The Rainforests of the Caribbean (covering countries such as Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic)、

Mediterranean Climate

The Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot and dry summers and mild and wet winters.

 It is recommended to choose products that meet high-grade standards, and ANOS® N-Ceram provides outdoor bamboo products that have been treated with special techniques. These materials come in different colors such as dark brown, light and natural colors. They are highly resistant to microorganism damage and perform exceptionally well in preventing deformations, UV degradation and high-salt environments at the coast, which traditional products do not possess.

The Mediterranean climate is found in areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, including countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and parts of coastal California, Chile, and South Africa. These areas typically have mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Some examples of cities and countries with Mediterranean climates include:

• Barcelona, Spain
• Athens, Greece
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Los Angeles, California, United States
• Sydney, Australia
• Cape Town, South Africa

Subtropical Monsoon Climate & Subtropical Humid Climate

Characteristics: hot and rainy seasons, hot and rainy summers, mild winters. it is recommended to choose high-quality products that have undergone deep mold prevention treatment as the moisture content of the materials can be relaxed to 12%-15% . It is important to avoid choosing products of lower quality or ordinary products that have not been specially treated, as this can lead to issues such as mold, cracking, warping, deformation,and termite erosion, causing significant damage and loss.

Subtropical monsoon climate is typically found in cities and countries located in coastal regions along the east and southeast margins of continents, such as:

• Cities in China, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan
• Cities in Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka
• Cities in India, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai
• Cities in the southeastern United States, such as Miami and New Orleans
• Cities in South Korea, such as Seoul
• Cities in Viet Nam, such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi
• Cities in Bangladesh, such as Chittagong and Dhaka
• Cities in Pakistan, such as Karachi
• Cities in Thailand, such as Bangkok
• Cities in Myanmar, such as Yangon

A subtropical humid climate is typically found in cities and countries located in coastal regions along the east and southeast margins of continents, such as:

• Cities in Brazil, such as Rio de Janeiro and Recife
• Cities in Argentina, such as Buenos Aires
• Cities in South Africa, such as Durban and East London
• Cities in Australia, such as Sydney and Brisbane
• Cities in Chile, such as Valparaiso and Concepcion
• Cities in Mexico, such as Acapulco and Veracruz
• Cities in Peru, such as Lima and Iquitos
• Cities in Uruguay, such as Montevideo
• Cities in Colombia, such as Barranquilla and Santa Marta
• Cities in Puerto Rico, such as San Juan

Polar Climate & Plateau Mountain Climate

A polar climate is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers.Precipitation is low, and it’s mostly snowfall, especially in the winter.

A plateau mountain climate, also known as an alpine or highland climate, is characterized by cool to cold temperatures year-round, with longer, colder winters and shorter, milder summers. These areas typically have high elevations. The temperature decreases as the altitude increases, and the climate becomes colder and drier. The air is thin and the UV radiation is stronger, which can cause sunburns more easily. Precipitation is often low, with most of it falling as snow during the winter months.

Products used in these environments must have high stability and resistance to cracking. It is essential to choose high-quality, superior grade products. The requirement for mold prevention can be relaxed slightly, with only surface mold prevention being necessary. The reason for the high crack resistance requirement in polar and highland climates is that when temperatures drop below freezing, low-quality products can easily burst due to weak adhesion and internal moisture freezing and expanding, similar to a water pipe being crushed by a frozen block of ice.

Additionally, the high altitude UV radiation can cause materials to degrade and change color. If you want to maintain the color of the material for a longer time, you can contact us to learn more about our UV-resistant products.

Major cities and countries with polar climates are located in the Earth’s polar regions, such as the Arctic and Antarctic.

• Polar climate is mainly found in cities such as:
• Barrow, Alaska, USA
• Svalbard, Norway
• Nuuk, Greenland
• Murmansk, Russia
• Tromsø, Norway

Plateau mountain climates are found in mountainous regions around the world, such as the Rocky Mountains in the United States, the Andes in South America, the Himalayas in Asia, the Alps in Europe, and the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa.

Major cities and countries with plateau mountain climate include:

• Quito, Ecuador
• La Paz, Bolivia
• Kathmandu, Nepal
• Lhasa, Tibet, China
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

It’s worth noting that the classification of the climates is not always clear cut, and some places may have mixed climates. If you are not familiar with the climate in your area and are unsure about which product to choose, contact us and we will give you professional and appropriate advice.

Reference

How ANOS® Bamboo Surpasses Other Strand Woven Bamboo？

How To Judge The Quality Of Bamboo Decking?

Anti Mold Deck Solution