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Dead trees rising from the still water of the Petit-Saut reservoir, with rainforest on the far shore

Photograph: Triton Timber

Sustainable hardwood, with the evidence.

How sustainable is submerged wood?

The Submerged Wood Collection is tropical hardwood recovered by Triton Timber from forests that were flooded when hydroelectric reservoirs were created. No living tree is cut to supply it, and that is a real environmental advantage. It does not settle every question, though. A flooded forest becomes a habitat of its own, and recovering timber from it has effects that scientists are still measuring. This page sets out what is documented, how the operation is managed and which questions remain open, with a source for every claim. It focuses on Petit-Saut in French Guiana, the reservoir where Triton harvests the collection today.

What is documented

No living forest is felled

The trees died standing when the Petit-Saut dam was closed in 1994 and the reservoir flooded 365 km² of primary rainforest (Horeau et al., 2005). Triton recovers that timber instead of felling new trees, and no roads are cut into the forest to reach it. Its sawmill was built on the dam's former quarry, land that was already cleared, so no further forest was cleared for the plant (Triton Timber). Photograph: Triton Timber.

Why the timber is still sound

Within days of flooding, the reservoir separated into an oxygenated surface layer and an oxygen-free layer beneath it. Since 1998 the oxygenated layer has averaged about 5 to 6 m deep, and the water below it is anoxic (Horeau et al., 2005). The fungi that decay wood need oxygen, so the submerged trunks keep their structure, colour and grain. That is why recovery focuses on the deeper water. Wood exposed to oxygen in the shallows, or where the water level rises and falls, decays and goes to biomass rather than timber (Triton Timber). Photograph: Triton Timber.

How it is harvested

Sonar maps the submerged forest and guides the harvesting plan. Triton's SHARC™ harvester, mounted on a barge, cuts each trunk underwater at its base without disturbing the lake bed, and the roots stay in place. As a rule only trees above about 20 cm in diameter are cut, so many smaller trees remain standing in the water. The machines run on biodegradable hydraulic oils, and logs cross the reservoir in floating bunks pushed by a tug. Branches and logs unfit for sawing, about 110,000 m³ a year, feed the 10.5 MW biomass power plant next to the sawmill, designed to supply about 8% of the electricity used on French Guiana's coast (Triton Timber). Photograph: Triton Timber.

What is left untouched

Triton reports that about 17,000 ha of the reservoir's 34,500 ha, almost half, is kept out of harvesting. That includes all the shallow areas, where oxygen-rich water holds most of the reservoir's life, the emergent trees near nests of protected birds, and buffer and exclusion zones around protected species and heritage sites. In any one year the operation occupies about 2% of the lake's surface (Triton Timber). Over its 25-year contract, Triton plans to recover about 3.5 million of the estimated 9 million m³ of timber in the reservoir (figures supplied by Triton Timber). Photograph: Triton Timber.

Wildlife: what is studied and monitored

Petit-Saut is home to about 455 giant otters in some 75 groups, according to researchers at the OFB, the French state's biodiversity agency, who compare it with the entire population of the species in Bolivia. The giant otter is endangered worldwide (Ciminera et al., 2026). Before harvesting began, Triton commissioned studies of fish diversity and abundance, the lake's hydromorphology, nesting birds and giant otters from local specialists and environmental consultancies (Hydreco, GEPOG, Biotope and ANTEA), working with the Petit-Saut scientific committee, and obtained its authorisations in 2019 (Triton Timber). Each year, surveys of otter breeding sites and bird nesting areas are used to plan the zones harvested the following year. Triton reports regular monitoring of water quality, fish, birds, mammals and landscape, and observers on board its harvesters. A site monitoring committee bringing together the lake's stakeholders has met since December 2023 (Outremers360, 2024; Guyane la 1ère, 2026).

In Triton's words

Elodie Delonca, Triton's CEO, set out the company's position at Decorex London 2026. On why Triton exists: “We consider that by harvesting these lost resources, by bringing them back to life, by reclaiming them, we offer a new sustainable solution to relieve the pressure on terrestrial forests.” On the reputation of tropical hardwood: “Tropical hardwood is associated with a very high carbon footprint, with illegal deforestation, with illegal human labour. So it became a bit of the black sheep of materials.” On proof: “There is not a one-size-fits-all definition of sustainability, and there is not a one-size-fits-all definition of traceability.” And: “My job as a supplier, and my job as a responsible provider, is to confirm that when I say to you that it's underwater wood from French Guiana, harvested in an environmentally compliant way, this is the truth.” These are the company's own words. The evidence for and against is set out on the rest of this page (Delonca, 2026). Photograph: panel at The Sustainability Space, Decorex London, 14 October 2026.

The open questions

Recovering submerged wood is not without effect, and some scientists and local associations oppose the project. In 2023 a scientific synthesis by the OFB, prepared at the request of the prefecture, warned that extraction could substantially increase the reservoir's greenhouse-gas production and threaten its giant otters (OFB, 2023; Outremers360, 2024). In 2026, OFB researchers reported that dead trees are a key aquatic habitat and that removing them simplifies it: in sectors without dead trees, fish diversity and biomass are about 60% lower. They call for particular attention to the harvesting and to how the site is managed (Ciminera et al., 2026). Questions have also been raised about mercury, which reaches the lake from natural sources and illegal gold mining (Jannot, 2023). Two local associations, Maiouri Nature Guyane and Préservons Petit-Saut, have asked the administrative court in Cayenne to require Triton to obtain a protected-species derogation. On 16 October 2026 the public rapporteur recommended that one be imposed, and a ruling is expected in November 2026 (Guyane la 1ère, 2026). An earlier ruling, in February 2025, confirmed that Triton's operating permit remains valid (France-Guyane, 2025). We will update this page as the evidence and the court's decision come in.

Origin, legality and traceability

Triton harvests under a 25-year contract with the ONF, France's national forest office, on a concession that runs to 2052. French Guiana is part of the European Union, so this is tropical hardwood of EU origin. Origin is documented with a certificate of origin from the French forestry authorities, and Triton is working with international partners to document the rest of the chain of custody, which supports the due diligence that UK and US timber import rules require. Submerged wood does not yet fit the forest certification schemes, which were written for living forests. Two species in the collection, Ébène Vert and Cumaru, are listed in Appendix II of CITES and are exported with CITES permits (Triton Timber; Triton Collections). Photograph: Triton Timber.

Shipping and carbon

Locally grown timber is the usual benchmark, and this wood crosses an ocean. Re:claimed plans to offset the carbon from shipping each consignment from French Guiana. The programme is being set up now, and its details will be published before the first deliveries in 2027. We do not describe the collection as carbon neutral or carbon negative.

Provided by Triton Timber

Sustainable Hardwood FAQs

Is submerged wood sustainable?

It avoids the largest impact of conventional tropical hardwood: no living forest is felled to supply it, and no roads are cut into the forest. Recovering it does change a habitat that has formed over three decades, and scientists are still measuring the effects on fish and wildlife. We consider it a responsible choice when the operation is planned, monitored and open about what it does, which is what this page sets out to show.

Is any living forest cut?

No. The trees died standing when the reservoir was flooded in 1994. The sawmill was built on the dam's former quarry, so no forest was cleared for it either.

Does harvesting affect fish and wildlife?

It can, which is why it is planned around them. OFB researchers report that areas without dead trees hold about 60% less fish diversity and biomass, and the lake is home to about 455 giant otters. Triton keeps the shallow areas and buffer zones around protected species out of harvesting, plans each year's zones from otter and bird surveys, and occupies about 2% of the lake in a year. The longer-term effects remain under scientific monitoring.

Is submerged wood certified?

Not by the forest certification schemes, which were designed for living forests and have no category for timber recovered from a reservoir. Origin is documented instead, with a certificate of origin from the French forestry authorities and a 25-year contract with France's national forest office (ONF). As Triton's CEO, Elodie Delonca, puts it: "My wood does not exist under the certification schemes, because nobody has ever thought about classifying underwater wood lost at the bottom of a reservoir as part of them."

Can it be imported into the UK and the US?

Yes. It is tropical hardwood of EU origin with documented provenance, which supports the due diligence required by UK and US timber import rules. Ébène Vert and Cumaru are listed in CITES Appendix II and are exported with CITES permits. Documentation is confirmed for each project at specification.

Does it help with BREEAM?

It can. Batch-level documentation of legal harvest supports Mat 03, responsible sourcing, and because no living forest is felled it can help lower embodied carbon in a whole-building assessment under Mat 01. Credits are confirmed by each project's BREEAM assessor.

Is the collection carbon neutral?

We do not claim that it is. The timber avoids the emissions of felling living forest, but it is shipped across the Atlantic. The reservoir itself has emitted greenhouse gases since it was flooded, mostly from the carbon in the flooded land (Abril et al., 2005), and whether removing the wood raises or lowers those emissions is debated. Re:claimed plans to offset shipping emissions and will publish the details before the first deliveries.

Is the project being challenged?

Yes. Two local associations have asked the administrative court in Cayenne to require Triton to obtain a protected-species derogation, and on 16 October 2026 the public rapporteur recommended that one be imposed. A ruling is expected in November 2026, and we will update this page when it is published.

What are the sources for this page?

Abril, G., Guérin, F., Richard, S. et al. (2005). Carbon dioxide and methane emissions and the carbon budget of a 10-year old tropical reservoir (Petit Saut, French Guiana). Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19, GB4007. doi.org/10.1029/2005GB002457

Ciminera, M., Richard-Hansen, C. and Baudoin, J.-M. (2026). La plus grande retenue hydroélectrique de France (Petit-Saut, Guyane) et les Loutres géantes : situation et perspectives. Sciences Eaux & Territoires, 51. doi.org/10.20870/Revue-SET.2026.51.9931

Horeau, V., Richard, S., Vigouroux, R., Guillemet, L. and Cerdan, P. (2005). Variabilités spatiales et temporelles de la qualité physico-chimique et des invertébrés pélagiques des eaux de la retenue hydroélectrique de Petit Saut (Guyane française). Revue des sciences de l'eau, 18, 109-126. doi.org/10.7202/705579ar

OFB, Office français de la biodiversité (2023). Actualisation de la synthèse scientifique et technique relative au projet d'exploitation des bois immergés de la retenue de Petit Saut. ofb.hal.science/hal-04380529

Triton Timber. Petit Saut: project, environmental commitments and monitoring. tritontimber.com/petit-saut. Triton Collections, species pages. tritoncollections.com. Figures supplied by Triton Timber Group, accessed October 2026.

Delonca, E. (2026). Interview: underwater wood, with the CEO of Triton. Re:claimed Journal. reclaimedco.com/journal/underwater-wood-elodie-delonca-triton

Outremers360 (12 January 2024). Le projet Triton Guyane fait sa première commission de suivi. outremers360.com

Guyane la 1ère (16 September 2026). Petit-Saut : deux associations demandent la suspension de l'exploitation du bois. la1ere.franceinfo.fr

Guyane la 1ère (16 October 2026). Petit-Saut, le rapporteur public préconise une dérogation espèces protégées pour Triton. la1ere.franceinfo.fr

France-Guyane (13 February 2025). Triton : feu vert confirmé par le tribunal administratif. franceguyane.fr

Jannot, L. (2023). Guyane française : un site à la biodiversité unique menacé par un projet d'exploitation. The Conversation. theconversation.com

Page last reviewed: 16 October 2026.

Questions about sourcing?

If you have a question about how this timber is sourced, or evidence we should consider, write to [email protected] and we will put it to Triton directly.