Oh, Parota!

Hola Holymole
I was told by a local carpenter quite recently that a door made of beautiful, dark parota (hardwood) would not be much more expensive than the same door made from common white pine (softwood). Another carpenter confirmed this surprising news, indicating there is no shortage of parota, unlike that other beautiful, dark hardwood, bocote, (think rocking chairs) which is harder to find.

I would be wary of cheap parota. It might not be legal. If the folks who profited from parota would plant trees then it would be another matter, but they don't, and like most exotic woods they are often stolen from our forests or otherwise harvested illegally, decreasing our biodiversity little by little.