Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
I have just returned from a trip to Northern California. What an amazing feeling it is to stand in the redwood groves there, among trees that are over 3,000 years old! I find that a staggering age to imagine. These trees were growing before Homer wrote the Odyssey and Iliad. They were already 1,000 years old when Julius Caesar was assassinated; when Jesus walked the earth; and when Ptolemy was writing in Egypt.
Balancing this euphoria were barren hillsides where clearcutting had destroyed huge swaths of the primeval forest. This reminded me that I have been meaning to write about the Forest Stewardship Council and Greenpeace’s Music Wood campaign. The point of these initiatives is to be responsible for the remaining wood resources so that ours is not the last generation to be able to make guitars from wood.
I am happy to report that most major guitar makers are taking an active role in these initiatives, including Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Fender, Guild, and many others. I would urge you to look for responsible luthiers when considering your next guitar. If we work together we can help ensure fine wood guitars for musicians in future generations.
Read more about the Forest Stewardship Council and the Music Wood campaign at http://www.musicwood.org/campaign.htm
NOTE: You can follow me on Twitter, where I am DrDaveGuitar. I’ll be tweeting stuff that is coming as well as things that do not fit into the blog but are still very interesting. Check it out!
Tags: conservation, Forest Stewardship Council, music wood, tone wood, wood