sequoia
Well-known member
LMI sent me an email that if I wished they would send me a detailed explanation on the coming restrictions on east Indian rosewood. I replied that I would like to see an explanation of the coming restriction because I don't really get it. Please clarify.
Well I still don't really get it. I concede that my brain doesn't really work in these legal, lawerly ways. I mean what the hell is an annotation? Notice that all rosewoods or all Dalbergia is being lumped. This is kind of nuts and doesn't make sense. Do these people know wood or am I missing something?
Below is the email I got:
The New CITES Ruling
Some Explanations.
CITES is an international organization that regulates the import and export of plant and animal
species and materials in order to protect endangered species. Their rulings are legally binding in all of
the 182 countries who participate. It is CITES, for example, that strictly prohibits the import and export
of elephant ivory. There are three “Appendices” with Appendix I being used for the most stringent
protections (Ivory, Brazilian Rosewood) and Appendices II and III being less stringent.
During their recent congress, the CITES body moved all Dalbergia species (Rosewoods of every kind)
to Appendix II unless the specie was already on Appendix I. Other guitar woods are already at
Appendix II, the most common one being Honduran (or “genuine”) Mahogany.
All woods listed on CITES Appendices require CITES import / export permits and related fees and
forms in order to get the wood over any international border. This is why LMI does not sell Mahogany
blanks internationally. However, with Mahogany and some other CITES listed materials, there is an
‘annotation’ on the ruling which allows for exceptions and exclusions to the import/export
restrictions. For this reason, we are able to sell a pre-carved Mahogany neck to an international
customer, but not a rectangular neck blank. We can sell mahogany kerfing, but not an electric guitar
body blank or bracewood blank.
The new ruling for Rosewood is different as there are no similar annotations. So unfortunately,
when the new CITES ruling took effect on 1/4/2017 we and other wood sellers were no longer able
to feasibly retail any Rosewood part internationally, worked or un-worked unless annotations are
added to the listing. This includes Indian Rosewood, which unlike most of the other Rosewood species,
has been harvested and exported with great care and oversight by the Indian government and in many
cases, by third-party certifiers like FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
Why include Indian Rosewood along with other Rosewoods (which are threatened)? By lumping all the
Rosewoods together it removes the responsibility of customs officials from having to distinguish
between the different species of Rosewood, which can often be very difficult. Misrepresenting
Rosewood species (calling Cocobolo ‘Indian Rosewood’ for example) has been a common method of
smuggling.
Well I still don't really get it. I concede that my brain doesn't really work in these legal, lawerly ways. I mean what the hell is an annotation? Notice that all rosewoods or all Dalbergia is being lumped. This is kind of nuts and doesn't make sense. Do these people know wood or am I missing something?
Below is the email I got:
The New CITES Ruling
Some Explanations.
CITES is an international organization that regulates the import and export of plant and animal
species and materials in order to protect endangered species. Their rulings are legally binding in all of
the 182 countries who participate. It is CITES, for example, that strictly prohibits the import and export
of elephant ivory. There are three “Appendices” with Appendix I being used for the most stringent
protections (Ivory, Brazilian Rosewood) and Appendices II and III being less stringent.
During their recent congress, the CITES body moved all Dalbergia species (Rosewoods of every kind)
to Appendix II unless the specie was already on Appendix I. Other guitar woods are already at
Appendix II, the most common one being Honduran (or “genuine”) Mahogany.
All woods listed on CITES Appendices require CITES import / export permits and related fees and
forms in order to get the wood over any international border. This is why LMI does not sell Mahogany
blanks internationally. However, with Mahogany and some other CITES listed materials, there is an
‘annotation’ on the ruling which allows for exceptions and exclusions to the import/export
restrictions. For this reason, we are able to sell a pre-carved Mahogany neck to an international
customer, but not a rectangular neck blank. We can sell mahogany kerfing, but not an electric guitar
body blank or bracewood blank.
The new ruling for Rosewood is different as there are no similar annotations. So unfortunately,
when the new CITES ruling took effect on 1/4/2017 we and other wood sellers were no longer able
to feasibly retail any Rosewood part internationally, worked or un-worked unless annotations are
added to the listing. This includes Indian Rosewood, which unlike most of the other Rosewood species,
has been harvested and exported with great care and oversight by the Indian government and in many
cases, by third-party certifiers like FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
Why include Indian Rosewood along with other Rosewoods (which are threatened)? By lumping all the
Rosewoods together it removes the responsibility of customs officials from having to distinguish
between the different species of Rosewood, which can often be very difficult. Misrepresenting
Rosewood species (calling Cocobolo ‘Indian Rosewood’ for example) has been a common method of
smuggling.