http://www.tennessean.com/article/2...bson-Guitar-plant-in-Nashville-raided-by-feds
An international crackdown on the use of endangered woods from the world's rain forests to make musical instruments bubbled over to Music City on Tuesday with a federal raid on Gibson Guitar 's manufacturing plant, but no arrests.
Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made a midday appearance and served a search warrant on company officials at Gibson's Massman Drive manufacturing plant, where it makes acoustic and electric guitars.
Gibson issued a statement saying it is "fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood." The company said it did nothing wrong.
Federal officials declined to say whether anything was removed from Gibson's plant or what specifically the agents were trying to find. But some exotic hardwoods traditionally used in making premium guitars, such as rosewood from the rain forests of Madagascar and Brazil, have been banned from commercial trade because of environmental concerns under a recently revised federal law.
Under the U.S. Lacey Act, trading in such banned woods is a federal offense, punishable by civil and criminal penalties or the seizure of property.
Environmental activists say the search of Gibson's plant took them by surprise because the company's top executive, CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, has taken a lead role for at least the past six years in urging the music industry to use only sustainable wood products.
"Historically, Gibson has shown an awful lot of leadership; they are really one of the manufacturers far ahead of the field," said Scott Paul, director of the forest campaign for Greenpeace, the international activist group.
Suppliers may lie
Paul said the investigation at Gibson's facility shows how complex and tricky the sale of wood products can be, especially when some sales are arranged through third parties in remote countries.
"Today proves that even if you're very serious about buying only certified, well-managed supplies, it's still possible to get caught up … in many of these regions where law enforcement is not always great and corruption is not uncommon," Paul said. "There are a lot of middle men between the guitar manufacturer and the company that is logging the ground. There are a lot of people who are not that honest in the timber business worldwide."
Many exotic woods are harvested in Indonesia, Madagascar, India and Brazil.
Amid rainforest depletion, such woods are increasingly a focus of tight international controls. Last year, the U.S. Congress amended a turn-of-the-century wildlife protection law (the Lacey Act) to extend its reach to endangered timber species and plants.
Gibson's prepared statement suggested that it works through other suppliers at times when buying special wood products.
"Gibson is a chain of custody certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards," Gibson's statement said. "Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO (Henry Juszkiewicz) sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and … the company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information."
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Webb said the search warrant was obtained based on information in a sealed affidavit outlining the investigation. That document remained under federal court seal Tuesday evening.
Critics are suspicious
Although previously banned in Madagascar, the harvesting of rosewood was re-established recently on the island off the southeastern coast of Africa by a new government that took power after a coup in March. The government there contends it is allowing only limited harvesting of rosewood, but critics that include Greenpeace and other environmental activists complain that the wood is being cut to near extinction.
A manager at the Gibson plant Tuesday afternoon declined to comment.
Gibson Guitar is part of the MusicWood Coalition, an activist group formed by Greenpeace that also includes fellow guitar manufacturers Martin and Taylor and other industry players.
Last year, a delegation of the coalition visited Madagascar to better understand the nation's forestry practices.
Despite such efforts, though, industry officials and environmentalists say it can be tricky to be certain of the source of all woods delivered from remote areas of the globe.
Sometimes it's possible for wood not allowed under the Lacey Act to slip through as a mistake, said Richard Hoover, founder of Santa Cruz Guitar Co. in California. Hoover said it's possible that his company may have been fooled into buying illegal wood.
"You could buy a name-brand automobile and there could be counterfeit parts in it," he said by way of comparison. Hoover's company makes about 650 guitars a year, a much smaller output than Gibson's.
The Lacey Act can result in criminal penalties and fines, but if a company unknowingly breaks the law and takes possession of illegal woods, it may only result in the forfeiture of the merchandise.
In general, guitar makers have not stopped using rosewood, ebony and other exotic woods, but have begun sourcing the wood from renewable supplies and going through a certification process, according to groups such as the Rainforest Alliance, which campaigns against extreme logging practices.
Contact
G. Chambers Williams III at 615-259-8076 or cwilliams1@tennessean.com.
Contact
Wendy Lee at 615-259-8092 or wlee@tennessean.com.
An international crackdown on the use of endangered woods from the world's rain forests to make musical instruments bubbled over to Music City on Tuesday with a federal raid on Gibson Guitar 's manufacturing plant, but no arrests.
Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made a midday appearance and served a search warrant on company officials at Gibson's Massman Drive manufacturing plant, where it makes acoustic and electric guitars.
Gibson issued a statement saying it is "fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood." The company said it did nothing wrong.
Federal officials declined to say whether anything was removed from Gibson's plant or what specifically the agents were trying to find. But some exotic hardwoods traditionally used in making premium guitars, such as rosewood from the rain forests of Madagascar and Brazil, have been banned from commercial trade because of environmental concerns under a recently revised federal law.
Under the U.S. Lacey Act, trading in such banned woods is a federal offense, punishable by civil and criminal penalties or the seizure of property.
Environmental activists say the search of Gibson's plant took them by surprise because the company's top executive, CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, has taken a lead role for at least the past six years in urging the music industry to use only sustainable wood products.
"Historically, Gibson has shown an awful lot of leadership; they are really one of the manufacturers far ahead of the field," said Scott Paul, director of the forest campaign for Greenpeace, the international activist group.
Suppliers may lie
Paul said the investigation at Gibson's facility shows how complex and tricky the sale of wood products can be, especially when some sales are arranged through third parties in remote countries.
"Today proves that even if you're very serious about buying only certified, well-managed supplies, it's still possible to get caught up … in many of these regions where law enforcement is not always great and corruption is not uncommon," Paul said. "There are a lot of middle men between the guitar manufacturer and the company that is logging the ground. There are a lot of people who are not that honest in the timber business worldwide."
Many exotic woods are harvested in Indonesia, Madagascar, India and Brazil.
Amid rainforest depletion, such woods are increasingly a focus of tight international controls. Last year, the U.S. Congress amended a turn-of-the-century wildlife protection law (the Lacey Act) to extend its reach to endangered timber species and plants.
Gibson's prepared statement suggested that it works through other suppliers at times when buying special wood products.
"Gibson is a chain of custody certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards," Gibson's statement said. "Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO (Henry Juszkiewicz) sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and … the company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information."
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Webb said the search warrant was obtained based on information in a sealed affidavit outlining the investigation. That document remained under federal court seal Tuesday evening.
Critics are suspicious
Although previously banned in Madagascar, the harvesting of rosewood was re-established recently on the island off the southeastern coast of Africa by a new government that took power after a coup in March. The government there contends it is allowing only limited harvesting of rosewood, but critics that include Greenpeace and other environmental activists complain that the wood is being cut to near extinction.
A manager at the Gibson plant Tuesday afternoon declined to comment.
Gibson Guitar is part of the MusicWood Coalition, an activist group formed by Greenpeace that also includes fellow guitar manufacturers Martin and Taylor and other industry players.
Last year, a delegation of the coalition visited Madagascar to better understand the nation's forestry practices.
Despite such efforts, though, industry officials and environmentalists say it can be tricky to be certain of the source of all woods delivered from remote areas of the globe.
Sometimes it's possible for wood not allowed under the Lacey Act to slip through as a mistake, said Richard Hoover, founder of Santa Cruz Guitar Co. in California. Hoover said it's possible that his company may have been fooled into buying illegal wood.
"You could buy a name-brand automobile and there could be counterfeit parts in it," he said by way of comparison. Hoover's company makes about 650 guitars a year, a much smaller output than Gibson's.
The Lacey Act can result in criminal penalties and fines, but if a company unknowingly breaks the law and takes possession of illegal woods, it may only result in the forfeiture of the merchandise.
In general, guitar makers have not stopped using rosewood, ebony and other exotic woods, but have begun sourcing the wood from renewable supplies and going through a certification process, according to groups such as the Rainforest Alliance, which campaigns against extreme logging practices.
Contact
G. Chambers Williams III at 615-259-8076 or cwilliams1@tennessean.com.
Contact
Wendy Lee at 615-259-8092 or wlee@tennessean.com.
