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Bamboo is an amazing plant that has long been known for its strength. In fact, it is the strongest growing woody plant on earth with a tensile strength superior to mild steel, and a weight-to-strength ratio surpassing that of graphite. It is also the fastest growing plant, clocked at 2 inches an hour! Amidst death and destruction in 1945, bamboo survived the Hiroshima atomic blast closer to ground zero than any other living thing and provided the first re-greening after the blast. Bamboo has long been used as a building material. The only buildings still standing after the earth quake in Costa Rica in 1992 were those made from bamboo. Thomas Edison even used a carbonized bamboo filament in his experiment with the first light bulb, and as rebar for the reinforcement of his swimming pool. To this day, the pool is still leak free and the light bulb still burns in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.
Bamboo could save the planet! It protects the environment and the air we breathe. A 20 meter tree cut for market takes approx. 60 years to replace. A 20 meter bamboo cut for market takes just 5 years to replace! Bamboo is the fastest growing canopy for the re-greening of degraded lands, and its stands release 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees. It also yields 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2-5% for trees thus creating greater yields of raw material for use. Bamboo related industries already provide income, food, medicine, and housing to over 2.2. Billion people worldwide.
Oh...and by the way, Bamboo makes a great fishing rod!