At Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon, a plywood industry based on exploitation of Ceiba pentandra developed over the last 15 years. By 1975, five Iquitos lumber mills had been set up to convert Ceiba trees to plywood. The cores of the peeled logs were used for local construction and cabinetry, forming an important secondary industry. By 1983, uncontrolled exploitation had led to total depletion of the resource base and collapse of the Iquitos plywood industry. © 1988.