RocknBlues
Well-known member
An article in Australian guitarist magazine claims that
Back in November, US federal agents Visited Gibson's Massman road factory in Nashville as part of an enquiry into the firm's alleged possession of illegal rosewood.
The US Fish and Wildlife service was looking for evidence that Gibson had used rosewood shipped from Madagascar Via Germany in it's production.
During the operation, federal agents took wood, computers, files and guitars from the premises. (
must have needed them for the policeman's ball band :lol: :lol: )
Madagascar is a chief exporter of the hardwood and has 47 species of rosewood and over 100 unique ebony species. But due to the recent changes in the attitude of the new Madagascan government toward export practices, illegal logging activity is believed by many environmentalists to be on the increase.
The USA's environmental policy, based on the much-updated lacey Act, introduced in 1900, forbids companies to import Madagascan rosewood to the US.
Gibson issued a statement shortly after the incident occurred on the 17 November, explaining that it is cooperating fully with the investigation.
"Gibson is a chain of custody-certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards. Gibson chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue very seriously."
Juszkiewicz has taken a leave of absence from the post until the investigation has been concluded.
A rainforest Alliance statement said that Gibson began working with them in 1986 on the Les Paul Smartwood Standard - the first guitar to use FSC-certified wood. the company also sources FSC-approved wood from sustainable community cooperatives in Guatemala and Honduras.
For more see http://WWW.gibson.com
and http://www.rainforest-alliance.org
:? I was board ok :roll: :lol:
Back in November, US federal agents Visited Gibson's Massman road factory in Nashville as part of an enquiry into the firm's alleged possession of illegal rosewood.
The US Fish and Wildlife service was looking for evidence that Gibson had used rosewood shipped from Madagascar Via Germany in it's production.
During the operation, federal agents took wood, computers, files and guitars from the premises. (
must have needed them for the policeman's ball band :lol: :lol: )Madagascar is a chief exporter of the hardwood and has 47 species of rosewood and over 100 unique ebony species. But due to the recent changes in the attitude of the new Madagascan government toward export practices, illegal logging activity is believed by many environmentalists to be on the increase.
The USA's environmental policy, based on the much-updated lacey Act, introduced in 1900, forbids companies to import Madagascan rosewood to the US.
Gibson issued a statement shortly after the incident occurred on the 17 November, explaining that it is cooperating fully with the investigation.
"Gibson is a chain of custody-certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards. Gibson chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue very seriously."
Juszkiewicz has taken a leave of absence from the post until the investigation has been concluded.
A rainforest Alliance statement said that Gibson began working with them in 1986 on the Les Paul Smartwood Standard - the first guitar to use FSC-certified wood. the company also sources FSC-approved wood from sustainable community cooperatives in Guatemala and Honduras.
For more see http://WWW.gibson.com
and http://www.rainforest-alliance.org
:? I was board ok :roll: :lol:
