O/T: Big Leaf Maple Poaching- BP's Opinion?

[Bass Control]

I'm sitting here watching the news when I hear this story about the poaching of Big Leaf Maple in Washington state for the use of guitar wood. I looked for an article on it and came across this one, so I thought I would post it here for every one to read, and I was also wondering if Mr. Ball would like to give his opinion on this.

Seattle Times: Maples Falling Victim to Backwood Thieves

 

[Big Poppa]

How in the world would I have any opinion other than sadness.

Lets grow some big leaf maple and start a harvesting and replanting program

WE only buy from established mills.

 

[Oldtoe]

So much for the Bigleaf Maple's infallible natural camouflage amongst other forest trees. It's ability to escape capture is also notoriously poor.

 

[adouglas]

Poaching has always been a sad fact of life. I was a forestry major in college 25 years ago (go figure...I make my living as a writer and have never used any of the stuff I learned), and it was just as much of a problem then. In those days, a single black walnut tree would be worth tens of thousands of dollars (probably much more today). There were stories of poachers removing these things with helicopters.

Intelligent forest management, and the voluntary use of less-rare species (I like the fact that EBMM uses basswood for Bongos), is the only answer.

 

[Big Poppa]

AD What can you do if there is a tree with no apparent benefit to any industry but guitars


The two edged sword part of this thing is that take engleman spruce...it is so controlled that it is really expensive wack prices for guitars now with it...higher prices...more poaching.

cant we plant areas with tonewoods and manage them for furture generations.

how fast do big leaf maple trees take to mature?

 

[adouglas]

cant we plant areas with tonewoods and manage them for furture generations.

Can't EBMM just make Bongos like the Open House Bongo or the LaRue Mahongo? You know the answer to this...it's not economically feasible to do so.

The trick to managing supply is ownership of the land and the timber on it.

The picture is also complicated by the fact that trees take decades to mature...40-odd years, depends on species and intended use...you can grow a stand of pulpwood really quickly, but if you want a tree big enough to produce quarter-sawn planks of sufficient size to make a guitar top, it's not going to happen in your lifetime...and maybe not in the lifetime of your children.

Lumber companies (like any industry) are going to do what it takes to maximize profit. If they can make more money growing pine for use as construction lumber than they can growing tone woods, they'll do it. Exact same reason why most of the wacky ideas the knuckleheads come up with will never happen...it just doesn't make economic sense.

Despite the popular portrayal of lumber companies as rapers of the land, it is absolutely in their interests to foster sustainability...but it is not necessarily in their economic interest to do the "right" thing (from our point of view) regarding species selection.

Even with prices as they are, it's just not economical over the long run for large suppliers to create a "boutique" stand of timber just to serve a limited market, though it may become so in the future if forest management policy and economic conditions change. For a model of how this might happen, witness the emergence of small, organic farmers serving local markets. They're marginal businesses, but the higher prices they can charge because of their superior product offsets their higher production costs. They're tapping into a demand for more "natural," organic foods.

So...you want a certain supply of tonewoods for the future? Buy some land, plant some trees, and hire some people to manage that timber for you. It's not going to come from the larger companies because they can't afford to operate that way.

 

[RitchieDarling]

My company just finished a survey down in Belize.

Out of 260 acres, there was a nearly 15 acres stand of mature teak.

They sold it all off. And made a PILE O' MUNNEH!

Enough to nearly pay off the mortgage on the property.

It's used for boat decks I think.

Not much use for guitars.

Ritchie

 

[GHWelles]

Exact same reason why most of the wacky ideas the knuckleheads come up with will never happen...it just doesn't make economic sense.come from the larger companies because they can't afford to operate that way.

 

[phatduckk]

i have no idea how much money it would take but a coop setup between a bunch of builders and a bunch of Lumber companies could be cool. both sides are guaranteed supply and demand.

getting people to not cheat could be tough

Ocean Spray kinda did this with cranberries and grapefruit... not quite the same since the end packages good is offered by one entity, but kinda, sorta, almost. would be an interesting econ masters project at the very least

 

[Beth]

I want a forest of tonewoods...

Tonewood Forest... kinda has a ring to it...

 

[GHWelles]

I want a forest of tonewoods...

Tonewood Forest... kinda has a ring to it...

Tonewood Forest: Good name for a band.

 

[mynan]

Does a falling tonewood tree make a sound if there is no one there to hear it?

 

[funky_me]

Tonewood Forest: Good name for a band.

Indeed.

 

[Beth]

Does a falling tonewood tree make a sound if there is no one there to hear it?

LOL - hell yeah, it makes a squealing sound much like that of a guitar...

 

[mynan]

LOL - hell yeah, it makes a squealing sound much like that of a guitar...

But how do you know if no one is there to hear it?

 

[funky_me]

But how do you know if no one is there to hear it?

Faith, Bryan...

 

[Beth]

Because the tree would fall for nothing other than to become a beautiful tonewood guitar. The squealing is the tree's excitement for the afterlife...

OK, I'm gonna spit out this hookah and get off my mushroom now...

 

[Strangeglow]

Of course world politics plays into this as well. Let's say you bought a large forest and were perfectly managing your collection of pernumbucco. Replanting for sustainability, no over harvesting, etc. Because no one else is, it's on the endangered list. So you can't use it.

Sadly, this is a problem that requires a more general solution.