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I support the idea behind the CITES treaty. However it seems that it took all the popular and desirable exotic woods and banned/regulated them to a point where normal schmoes can't afford to buy these fancy-schmancy exotics short of winning the lottery. So if I want something that looks like Unobtanium-wood but is not endangered and I can afford, I don't know what to look for. Is there a reference that says something like:

"You want to build with {endangered species}? Use {more common species} instead... it looks {similar|different}, works {similar|different} to {engangered wood}"

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  • "banned/regulated them to a point where normal schmoes can't afford to buy... short of winning the lottery" It's not just the price, some woods have basically become unobtainable (without contacts or a network) since only sales of existing stocks are legal, and obviously there's a very finite amount of this. "So if I want something that looks like Unobtanium-wood" Unfortunately there are often NO substitute woods for many of the exotics that are now banned from trade, the dalbergias in particular. So short of faking them by 'graining' it's either old stock or nothing from here on out :-(
    – Graphus
    May 13 '18 at 15:58

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