Bamboo, which is fast emerging as the most viable wood alternative the world over, can be effectively used to revive the closed down plywood units of Assam and the North-East. "It is possible to use bamboo for majority of applications of wood, particularly in larger volumes like paper, plywood, construction and furniture, and it really holds a lot of promise for restarting the 70-odd plywood industries of the North-East,' Kamesh Salam, Director, Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC), Guwahati. "It should be a very rewarding venture from the conservation aspect as well, because the immense pressure on timber will ease considerably once bamboo starts replacing plywood,' he said. Apart from its superior strength and mechanical properties, bamboo has an astoundingly quick regeneration period of four to six years.