When Barbados was first settled by Europeans in 1624, the island was, literally, covered in mahogany trees. Today, few remain, but many of the old sugar plantations still have small groves of mahogany trees, and older buildings, such as churches, are frequently accompanied by a few mahogany trees in the grounds. I am not aware of them being felled for the purpose of furniture manufacture, but if a trees falls or is trimmed, there is high demand by manufacturers for the branches.
The trees were in such abundance that they were felled to provide construction materials for settlers, firewood and materials to build furniture. Barbadian mahogany furniture is well known for its quality, strength and beauty, and many homes on the island are furnished entirely with these valuable antiques. Mahogany is still used in the furniture manufacturing industry on the island but to a lesser extent due to the scarcity of the wood.
The tree has small papery leaves with large seed pods that split open when they are dry, releasing the seeds to be distributed by the wind. The bark of the mahogany tree is quite thick and rough. Mahogany trees do not lose all of their leaves at the same time, but they do shed a lot just prior to the emergence of the feathery new light green leaves.
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