Got Wood?

Why isn’t this stuff in the news?! Apparently Gibson facilities in Nashville, Tennessee have been raided by the Feds (and when I read about it, I’m slowly getting this image in my head of Moulder and Scully rocking out…). According to sources, federal agents confiscated computers, files, guitars and wood used in the manufacture of Gibson guitars.

Gibson and Alien Abduction?

Hmm…this could explain why the companies guitars mysteriously sound so good, maybe the agents with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service along with Nashville police were actually in search of alien Gibson technology? I’m afraid it’s stranger than that. According to the Nashville Post, the raid was conducted by a combination of federal agents and local police who are investigating the company for violating the “Lacey Act”.

Now, if you (like me) aren’t so familiar with international and USA(ish) law, then you will need this one explained:

On May 22, 2008, the U.S. Congress passed a groundbreaking law banning commerce in illegally sourced plants and their products – including timber and wood products. The new law is an amendment to a 100-year-old statute, named the Lacey Act after the Congressman who first championed it. While the Lacey Act has long been one of the most powerful tools for the U.S. agencies fighting wildlife crime, its potential to combat illegal logging remained untapped to date. Now the Lacey Act sets a groundbreaking precedent for the global trade in plants and plant products, acknowledging and supporting other countries’ efforts to govern their own natural resources and putting in place powerful incentives for companies trading in these commodities to do the same.[view source]

Illegal Wood

That’s right, it appears our friends at Gibson have been importing illegal wood from Madagascar to make their guitars (maybe that’s the magical ingredient?!). Here is what they had to say about it:

“Gibson Guitar is fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood. Gibson is a chain of custody certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards. Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO [Henry Juszkiewicz] sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue of certification very seriously. The company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information,”

You see, Madagascar have been struggling financially since the beginning of this year (hasn’t everyone?) and this has lead to a rise in criminal activity surrounding exports (not surprising, when the rosewood used to make Gibson guitars exports at $5,000 per cubic meter!). The new president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, has legalized the export of rosewood and ebony, and it seems Gibson where involved in a deal exporting it from there to Germany, and then on to the USA.

Of course, this export of wood has had a huge effect on the already suffering Lemur population (What’s a Lemur? those things that look like monkeys and jump). Here is a picture of a Lemur- in case you didn’t realise who Gibson have been hurting with this, here he is (awww!):