: Good day all,

: I posted this exact topic on the wood surfboard forum and want to
: share it here as well.

: I just read the following article on CNN about Brazil opening the
: Amazon up for forrestry:

:
: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/11/12/brazil.forest.auction/index.html

: At first I thought "OH NO! They're going to destroy the rain
: forrest." However, upon reading the article I will say they
: seem to be managing it and are only allowing 25 cubic meters,
: which apparently is only 4 to 6 trees, per hectacre. That's not
: much at all. If they were actually able to manage it then in my
: opinion it would be minimum impact. However, I am not so sure
: that it's going to eliminate or even decrease the illegal
: logging. If they are auctioning off the land then likely the big
: companies will have the most money to spend, and the little guy
: will continue to illegally log.

: Anyway, now that I am using more and more exotic woods, I am very
: interested in knowing where the wood comes from, and whether or
: not it was legally harvested. CITES certification is one way to
: check this, but really you have to actually research where your
: supplier gets the wood. It is a big problem and we all have to
: do our part. I am also very cautious with making the best use of
: wood and never throwing any scraps away. You would be amazed at
: what I find in the dumpster. Recently I nabbed some spanish
: cedar!

: So- the topic is simply responsible harvesting and use of wood. I
: would love to hear thought from forum members on this subject.
: Perhaps recommendations for reputable suppliers, or perhaps
: creative use of woodscraps- I just think it's a good subject to
: discuss and share thoughts and ideas.

One way to insure that the wood you buy is not illegally harvested is to buy from very certain hardwood suppliers, the good ones will go out of their way to insure that they aren't buying what they shouldn't be selling. Yes you'll likely pay more, but it's worth it.

Bill H.