Gibson Pursues SmartWood Management from First Cut to Finished Guitar

Source: Gibson Guitar

When guitarists take possession of a Gibson guitar containing SmartWood, they are acquiring more than a beautiful, handcrafted instrument. They are joining Gibson's commitment to the environment, as the final link in a chain of responsibility that extends back through Gibson's manufacturing process, through the wood vendors, all the way back to the harvesting and milling of mahogany trees in Guatemala.

Ten years ago Gibson began working with the Rainforest Alliance, whose SmartWood program audits the chain of custody of certified wood (certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council). Gibson introduced the SmartWood Les Paul in 1996 to symbolize this new commitment and to raise industry awareness of the need for responsible forest management. Since then, Gibson has quietly moved closer and closer to a goal of 100 percent certified wood, and the majority of Gibson products now have SmartWood content.

The Rainforest Alliance is playing a major role in accelerating Gibson's progress by sending representatives to Guatemala, Gibson's primary source of certified mahogany, and bringing Gibson into closer relationships with wood suppliers. Members of the Rainforest Alliance team in the area of Uaxcatun have been training the community and the local sawmills to mill mahogany to Gibson's particular needs. Pieces that in the past would have been thrown away are now milled for Gibson guitar neck stock, which increases the yield from every mahogany tree.

In addition, the Rainforest Alliance is introducing Gibson to suppliers in Nicaragua and Honduras, which will start the certification process for those suppliers and open up new sources of high quality mahogany for Gibson guitars.

"It's not just a matter of doing the right thing as a corporate citizen of the world," said Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. "It's good business -- and the ultimate level of quality control -- to have Rainforest Alliance representatives there at the 'birth' of the materials that we use in manufacturing. Thanks to the Rainforest Alliance, we can ensure that our materials are optimized not only for Gibson guitars but for the future of our environment as well."

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corporation's family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberg, Tobias, Slingerland and Maestro. Baldwin, founded in 1862 in Cincinnati, is one of the oldest and most respected American piano makers, and the Baldwin Company, which includes Hamilton and Wurlitzer, joined the Gibson family in 2001. Gibson's digital guitar represents the biggest technological advance for the electric guitar since the instrument was invented 70 years ago.