Monkeypod, in some areas, is extremely popular as a carving or other craft wood where it is used to make highly prized and expensive items such as bowls, boxes, pens, knife handles, and other small specialty items created by carvers or wood turners. In fact, in Hawai’i, bowls and other craft items are in such high demand that local supplies of Monkeypod wood are supplemented with imports from Indonesia and the Philippines.
One particularly special use of Monkeypod is in the manufacture of high-end string instruments, especially guitars and ukuleles. Many ukulele players prefer an instrument made from a “native” Hawai’ian wood and while we know that Monkeypod is not native to Hawai’i at all, it is some commonly naturalized in the islands that many people in Hawai’i think of it as being a native tree.
Monkeypod Guitar
Finally, Monkeypod produces a prodigious amount of heat when burned, and the tree regrows vigorously after even severe limb removal, making it an excellent source of firewood and charcoal, a use that accounts for its widespread planting in areas that required fuel for newly installed railways, beginning in Sri Lanka. However, in areas where there is a strong market for wood carvings, the wood is considered too valuable to be used any longer as a fuel source.
The seed pods of the Monkeypod are edible, but are not typically eaten by humans although both domesticated and wild animals do enjoy them. The seed pods have also found use in some traditional medicines as well.
Sustainability
Monkeypod is not listed as being in any way threatened or endangered by the Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices nor does it appear on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
To the best of my knowledge, Monkeypod is not subject to any special restrictions by any United States government agency.
I realize that inherent in working with wood is the killing of a part of the natural world that may be slow to return and if I become deeply concerned about this fact, I will have to find a new hobby. I hope that such a time does not come to pass or at least not any time soon. In part because I am concerned about legally and responsibly obtained wood, I am reluctant to buy from sellers outside of well-established and known vendors. I am highly unlikely, for example, to purchase any wood from auction sites, such as Ebay, because of uncertain sourcing and documentation, as well as the potential, even likelihood, of material being misidentified in order to achieve a higher selling price.
However, due to the commercial scarcity of some domestic woods, resorting to auction sites such as Ebay or Etsy may be the only way to obtain some desirable domestic, or in some cases exotic imported, species that are not routinely commercially harvested. The potential risks of buying in these marketplaces have to be balanced against the desire to work with a specific species of wood. That is inherently an individual decision.
I also realize that many, if not most, wood workers do not have endangered species lists memorized, therefore I think it worthwhile and important to do even a small amount of research before purchasing any lumber, domestic as well as imported, to be certain of the potential impact you are having, even in a small way, on threatened or endangered populations. This information is easy to come by and takes only minutes to locate through any Internet search engine, including those you can access on your phone as you are standing in the lumber yard or store. Unfortunately, you simply cannot count on a vendor to tell you a product they are selling is endangered.
Health Hazards
Severe adverse reactions to Monkeypod appear to be rare but Monkeypod dust has been reported and listed as an eye irritant.