Selecting, Finding and Acquiring the Woods
First, consider the beauty of woods that are local or domestic and can be scavenged from dumps, arboreta, parks, neighbors etc.
Consider reclaimed woods. Some sources are listed in my Articles. See also www.cocoboloking.com.
Consider woods grown by conservation groups in tropical countries, e.g., Tropic Ventures in Puerto Rico, which grows Blue Mahoe
(described in my Articles) and the African Blackwood Conservation Project.
Because the importers have not included the thick turning stock in their certification systems, we must force the market to develop.
Tell your dealers that you want tropicals that are FSC-certified. The dealers who are not certified at all will have to apply for
individual or group certification. The FSC and Smartwood understand the plight of the small foresters and dealers and have launched a program
to encourage small businesses to enter the system. The dealers who are certified should able to determine which species are FSC
certified or certifiable in milled lumber and then expand their operations to mark and include in the chain of custody the chunks that fall off the line.
Don't take "No" for an answer. The major guitar and related musical instrument makers have joined together and worked with Greenpeace to
form "Musicwood", that assists them in using FSC-certified woods-and promoting their finished products as environmentally responsible. See my
Articles for more detail and the link.
Commit yourself to this effort. The LEED building campaign in America has grown from nothing to a huge, successful "green building" movement.
It costs more obviously to trade with FSC guarantees. Be willing to pay the premium. You purchase a small amount of tropical wood individually.
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