While it is true that koa "can" theoretically be harvested in a sustainable way, it currently is not a sustainable hardwood. Precious little koa remains in the islands. Most koa came from the Big Island of Hawaii and that's where what is left is obtained. Having researched sustainable koa forestry extensively last year and making a sizable investment therein my understanding is that the current law only permits koa trees that have died a natural death to be harvested. However, the price of the wood is so astronomically high that it is very frequently illegally harvested--poached--and thus the few live trees still standing are being killed bit by bit.
There are several privately funded efforts under way to reforrest parts of the Big Island with sustainably harvested koa. These efforts look quite promising and have the backing of the State and many private investors but it will be 15 to 20 years before the first of these sustainable trees is ready for harvest. In the meantime the current koa coming to market is not honestly sustainably obtained.
Hawaiian koa grows only in Hawaii and is the most beautiful wood I personally have ever seen. The grain, color, semi-translucent depth and magical shimmer are very special. There is an almost reverential feeling in many people when seeing it, myself included. If Tesla did offer koa it should guarantee that their koa is obtained truly only from naturally dead trees or they would be encouraging the illegal poaching and decimation of the remaining koa trees. The price of koa compared to other woods would be exceedingly more expensive too.
