Does the use of bamboo damage the environment?

No. Though any resource can be exploited to extinction, Bamboo grown in managed groves is the most efficient hardwood available. Bamboo is a grass, and like lawn grass it can be harvested without destroying the plant. The poles (culms) thrust upward from rhizomes below the ground. The removal of up to one fourth to one third of the culms each year can actually improve the health of the plant. In contrast, it takes 40 years for Northern White Cedar to reach post size, and when cut, the plant is destroyed.