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People walk under the boardwalk in Wildwood, N.J., in July of 2008 as they
head toward the beach Atlantic Ocean.

Ipe (pronounced "EE'-pay") is a flowering tree that towers over others in the forest canopy. It can grow to 100 feet. It is Brazil's largest timber export, 50 percent of which is sold to the United States. The wood looks good, lasts for decades and can support the weight of a police car or fire engine. It also can withstand moisture and the corrosive effects of salt better than other species of wood, making it popular for use in boardwalks.

But environmentalists have been trying for years to promote the use of abundant, domestically grown species like black locust. Wildwood agreed to use black locust for its boardwalk project; a decision that was hailed by Tim Keating, executive director of Rainforest Relief, a New York volunteer group. However, a shipment of black locust from a New York supplier showed up with pieces of bark in it, large knots and some cracks.

Environmental groups then suggested Wildwood consider using lumber made from recycled plastic. Belmar and Spring Lake are among Shore towns using it. But Troiano said the current project has to be done with the same type of wood as ipe or black locust. He also raised aesthetic questions about plastic lumber. "When people go to a boardwalk, they want to walk on a boardwalk; they don't want a plastic walk," Troiano said. "It's a traditionalist thing. They want wood under their feet." Keating said he is trying to identify other suppliers of black locust that could be used for the rest of Wildwood's boardwalk project, even if the current three-block section is done with ipe.

I spent two summers working on the Wildwood boardwalk, hope they can sort it out.

Those wild wild Wildwood days...

Sorry, I prefer to be in Cape May with the "elitists" over the scary Carneys and Phil-rats that hang in Wildwood. I guess Avalon would be a compromise between the two.