CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

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peter.coombe
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CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

Post by peter.coombe » Wed Aug 17, 2016 10:00 am

Looks like all species of rosewood may be about to be listed on CITES Appendix II.
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopi ... 01&t=48130
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blackalex1952
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Re: CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

Post by blackalex1952 » Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:50 am

In the thread on the forum you link to, one contributor posts the comment
QS oak guitars are as nice looking as any exotic, and I can drive to my lumberyard in 10min. and buy it for $6.50/bf.
. I'm wondering if he is referring to Queensland Silky Oak? If so, such a rare timber, relatively rare and therefore precious on a global scale, needs protection as well. Along with many other beautiful Australian species. Satinwood, Blackwood, many more. I feel that Australia is well behind the rest of the world in protecting and treasuring timber species. However, the CITES protection, in fact any legislated protection although absolutely necessary, has inherent problems. It is attempting, "after the horse has bolted", to protect already rare species which have been squandered in the interests of short term financial gain. It is addressing symptoms and not cause, a suppressant remedy, and requires the backing of a policing and legal process, which is cumbersome and costly. Now, many see what I am going to say as idealistic and not a reflection of human nature. But just ask the average end user of a wooden item what CITES is? Most have no idea. I have found that people will embrace sustainability if they OWN the reason for the practice. The same happens when teaching, motivating, inspiring etc. One can't force learning, but if the student feels and understands the benefits, they learn. A person will become motivated when they own the decision to act. A drug addict will beat the addiction when he or she deeply owns, both emotionally and intellectually the decision to do it. Love is our greatest power, not the love of something, but that special connected love that we feel for this life.After all, it is a gift, even for those who don't realise the fact. The world tells us that we are thinking machines which feel, but in reality, we are feeling machines which think. If I allow myself to think then feel, in the extreme example, I become a good/bad meter...this is good this is bad this is right this is wrong-a slave of emotional uncertainty. But if I feel the inherent wisdom behind all things, I have, through my thinking, a magic wand, the magic wand of CHOICE!
So what has this got to do with sustainability of exotic timbers? We live in a world where there is often an abdication of personal responsibility and a reliance on Government, police, a legal system. There is no awareness, sometimes, of the need that caused the legislation to be created, and therefore no personal ownership of the action that needs to be taken. A diamond scattered along with smashed up glass would only stand out to someone who recognises the diamond. To everyone else, it's all just broken glass. How these timbers are valued, and the purpose for which they are to be used needs to be understood by consumers. It should be a strong cultural value that we all have, as humans living on out precious Mother earth, that these timbers mean much more than dollars or prestige. That way, the CITES legislation, as a tool will serve people, because there is ownership and awareness by the majority, of need. Human systems are set up to serve humanity, but when humanity serves the system, things need to change so that these systems serve us. One of the original Apollo astronauts, on returning from the moon and seeing the earth rise on the moon's horizon, seeing the earth in such a hostile universe as an oasis which which sustains life remarked: " If we don't begin to behave as one species, we're doomed".Ross
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

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Re: CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

Post by Steve.Toscano » Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:04 pm

blackalex1952 wrote: Along with many other beautiful Australian species. Satinwood, Blackwood,
As much as i like to get my hippie on i dont feel that blackwood needs 'extreme' (for lack of a better word) protection. The stuff is available everywhere and relatively fast growing.

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Re: CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

Post by Steve.Toscano » Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:13 pm

Wondering what the timber experts on here thoughts are regarding stocking up on some indian rosewood? Will indian most likely become like brazilian in the very near future? Eg expensive and hard to get.

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Re: CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

Post by peter.coombe » Thu Aug 18, 2016 9:44 am

As much as i like to get my hippie on i dont feel that blackwood needs 'extreme' (for lack of a better word) protection. The stuff is available everywhere and relatively fast growing.
I agree. I planted 50 blackwood trees as seedings on our 2 acre block at Kalaru 5 years ago and they are already 4-5m high and thriving. It grows all along the east coast, Victoria, Tasmania and parts of SA, although there are not many left in SA. It has also been introduced into California and there are some big trees there now. It is dead easy to grow from seed or you can also buy seedlings from nurseries. I believe there is some in plantations in Tassie, and some farmers have planted it, but there should be much more of that. Is not something you would plant in a suburban backyard though, they can grow into really big trees under favourable conditions. I have heard of a farmer in Victoria using F/B Blackwood for fence posts! Expensive fence posts, but he had no idea what it was, just a common wattle tree to him. Fast growing Blackwood trees still produce good quality wood, unlike some other species. Not rare, not endangered, not threatened, there should be more of it being planted, but I am happy to use a lot of it.

As for Indian Rosewood, it might be a good idea to stockpile it, but I would expect India to object to it being listed on CITES Appendix II. India is about the only country in the world to actually make an effort to try and ensure the supply of Indian rosewood and ebony is sustainable in the longer term. CITES lists the countries where the rules apply, so India can be left out, but that is not the intention of the current version of the draft.

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blackalex1952
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Re: CITES draft proposal on rosewoods

Post by blackalex1952 » Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:31 pm

I do agree about the comments regarding the blackwood. However, the gist of my comments is really that we as a culture need to value timber more. I would rather see blackwood plantations rather than pinus radiata being used for purposes where it could substitute for pine...and select grades used for decorative and musical purposes. It would also be helpful for research to be done on cultivation methods of blackwood in order to develop a high figure. It is really a matter of people's understanding of the value of these things. I feel that part of the luthiers job is to educate people on the preciousness of these timbers.(I'm guessing that quickly grown plantation blackwood would most likely lack high grade decorative quartersawn figure.) Good on you for planting those blackwoods!
I used to work at La Trobe University in the 1970's and helped Dr Peter Rawlinson with his presentations on the subject of clearfelling and forestry practices. Peter also did a lot of the preliminary research on fuel reduction burning, which I am still not sure is being applied according to some of the principles that he initially laid out. Peter had a lot to do with the winding back of the wholesale clearfelling practices of native forests as laid down by the Menzies government. He was even offered bribes by big business interests to silence him. He used to emphasis the importance of selective loggin within an ecologically balanced forest, rather than the industry related practice of clearfelling then replacing forest with monocultures. On a grand scale that is a recipe for long term disaster. Massive burns after clearfelling, loss of topsoil, non replenishment as a forest does of topsoil, the destruction of habitat, the consequent use of chemicals etc... When Prince Charles and Diana were married, a wedding gift was presented to them by the Australian Government, I believe, which had been carved from a solid piece of blackwood obtained by the artist from a Tasmanian clearfell site prior to the site being burned to clear the way for a pine plantation. The authorities had denied him access so he had to sneak in and grab it...that kind of resource just didn't fit the concept of the timber industry at the time. It was considered to be useless waste wood.
So my opinions are not based on "the hippie" in me.
I do admit however, that if I was flash for cash, I would be stockpiling rosewood for luthierie. One good reason for luthiers to use the rare timbers is that if these timbers do become unobtainable, they will have been preserved in a highly artistic, tactile and musical way. I wish that with all these timbers and other resources that humans would understand as individuals and cultures the importance of sustainable management relative to population pressures. We need as a species, to rise above the monetary system so that money becomes a tool for humans rather than being the end in itself. Money should be the means for us to create dignity, peace and prosperity on our finite planet.Ross
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

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