FEATURE

Blackwood Down Exploring the that drives our art. Part I

by Vincent Janoski

hat do toilet seats and Highland bagpipes have in common? No, Wthis is not another abusive bagpipe joke—and the answer is not “people are happy to sit on them.” The answer is they, along with knife handles, bas- soons, and traditional animal statues, are carved from the heartwood of the mpingo , otherwise known as dalburgia melanoxylon, or African blackwood. But how much does the average piper know about the wood that drives our art? Over the last twenty or so years, screams of a blackwood shortage have waxed and waned from shouts of panic to dismissive shrugs. We currently seem to be in one of the shrugging periods as reports suggest the supply of African blackwood may take 80 or more years to be exhausted. That’s a lot of chanters. Recent timber import/export restrictions notwithstanding, bagpipe makers seem to have no trouble getting their hands on ample blackwood billets to keep on hand. In the screaming periods, not more than ten to fifteen years ago, the supply of proper-aged blackwood came into short order. Deforestation in some African countries and overharvesting and excessive illegal logging in others such as Kenya, completely exhausted the supply of harvestable mpingo in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By some reports, under those earlier conditions, pipers would have seen the end of all-blackwood stands of drones by 2010. A growing global marketplace, however, has seen supplies of blackwood drawn from other, more resource rich countries. In 2007, there are more pipe makers than ever, and all are producing more seemingly quality blackwood bagpipes than has been seen in several generations. The mpingo tree does not seem to be in danger of extinction, however, the source of the current supply and the long-term viability of mpingo as a marketable wood are another matter. Does the demand for the typical blackwood set of pipes exist to sustain affordable pipes? Would you pay $12,000 or more for a typical set of blackwood bagpipes? By 2012 to 2020, the premium placed on mpingo billets just might place your basic set in that range. Like any natural resource, the mpingo tree is subject to the natural cycles of weather, regional politics, local population needs, and global economics. All of The Mpingo tree ( melanoxylon) these things contribute to the variability and instability found in the timber trade as it looks before harvest (top). can of , and the mpingo trade specifically. reach about 25 feet. (Center and bottom) We live in a consumer culture. Supply is fueled by demand. But it is that Pieces of raw mpingo before processing very demand that might all but cause the extinction of new blackwood stands of alongside a few heartwood billets ready for drones. Not because so many people will want to be pipers (or bassoonists, or market. A tree must be at least 70 years old players for that matter), but because the demand for fine furniture, fuel, before reaching these diameters. Only the and flooring, not to mention electronics such cell phones, or the needs of local straightest pieces are suitable for musical populations in harvesting countries might end up exhausting or diverting the instruments. Photos courtesy the Blackwood marketable supply of blackwood for good. Conservation Project.

40 The Voice • Fall 2007 FEATURE

The heartwood of the mpingo tree is used for a variety of common, and not-so-common coverage and Harvest items. It is valuable timber used for making (top left), traditional carvings (bot- Mpingo trees grow in a broad range of tom left), flooring (center), bassoons (center right), and luxury decorative items sub-Saharan Africa. The most acces- such as this one-of-a-kind mobile phone from Gresso (right). sible and harvestable timber, however, grows in what is called the miombo woodlands that stretch from Tanzania What Is Blackwood? “harvestable” when they reach maturity and on the east, through in 70 years, although some trees are What we call “African blackwood” is the Democratic Rep. of Congo to harvested as young as 30. Raw logs are actually the heartwood of the mpingo on the west. The majority of normally seasoned and dried for up to 3 tree and a member of the marketable mpingo timber is harvested years before processing. family. The raw tree is harvested and in Tanzania where it is the national While that may seem like a the thick outer layer of lighter, softer tree. long time to wait for quality timber, wood is removed to form pure, straight Some 250 million of the poorest it gets even more difficult. Straight heartwood billets for market. The lon- people in Africa rely on wood as billets are normally a result of only gest and straightest lengths of wood are their primary source of fuel and the a 10 percent yield of raw logs with a sent for the musical instrument trade populations of mpingo harvesting 90 percent waste rate for all timber primarily, while the rest is used for tra- countries are no different. Firewood is harvested! Processing straight billets ditional carving and the general trade. 75 percent of the energy consumption for musical instruments narrows the Although some very good sets of in sub-Saharan Africa. Timber supply even further, those making up bagpipes are being made these days, represents 6 percent of the total $10 only 15 percent of the total yield of and despite a larger global marketplace billion GDP of Tnazania. Mpingo billets. Therefore only 1.5 percent providing easier access to goods, is only a small portion of harvested of harvested, processed blackwood is good quality blackwood for musical timber, but it is the most valuable available for any musical instruments. instruments is not an easy thing to timber harvested, with billets gathering Although bagpipes use the most come by. The high value for billets on US$18,000 per cubic meter on the blackwood per instrument (.006 cubic the open market will attest to this. open market. Timber in general is a meters per set), they represent less than Only the straightest lengths of large industry, but market demand and one-half of one percent of the total wood and those most free of defects demand for fuel wood far outstrips the blackwood billets use for instruments, can be used for musical instruments, regeneration of forestry. making quality blackwood supplies with the most being used for clarinets, Commercial timber licenses are for bagpipes extremely sensitive to , and bassoons. This relies on not easily granted and are out of reach straight trees that are only considered disruptions.

The Voice • Fall 2007 41 FEATURE

population expansion, and harvesting for fuel. This rate has only reached this level within the last ten years leading to the extinction of rainforests on Africa’s western coast. Nigeria has experienced the worst deforestation to date with more than one-half of its primary forests lost between the years 2000 to 2005 alone. At current rates, it is esti- mated that all of western Africa’s forests will disappear by 2020. Such activities can be considered the byproduct of developing global economy, but just as the world

Indian can benefit from growth in one Ocean country, dire consequences can be felt worldwide by the depletion of Atlantic Tanzania Ocean natural resources and unmanaged growth. Such rampant forest clearing through slash and burn techniques saturates the market with “illegal” Range of mpingo trees Mozambique timber, driving down market prices and undercutting local economies and Miombo woodlands legal operations, thereby diminishing the viability of valuable timbers such as mpingo. In addition, forest clearing through burning negatively affects the stands of mpingo trees that are left The range of African blackwood extends through much of sub-Saharan Africa. Commer- for legitimate logging, causing multi- cial operations are mainly found in the miommbo woodlands of the south-central countries. stemmed, diseased, and crooked trees which results in lower market value with billets unsuitable for musical for many locals. Mpingo is also very Dangers instruments such as bagpipes. expensive to harvest, requiring special The above issues have led to the local Despite the fact that harvestable equipment and treatment because depletion of mpingo in Kenya. Sup- mpingo exists in ample quantities and of its dense and oily nature. It is also ply had been diminishing for years will remain available for some time, it is difficult to transport due to its growing and in the mid-1990s, supply dried up more likely that current social, political, locations. Many locals will often cut entirely. Population expansion, com- and economic trends will disrupt trees indiscriminately for charcoal mercial opportunities in agriculture, its continued availability. Although (mpingo makes excellent fuel) and other improved infrastructure all contributed mpingo remains available, current rates domestic uses without regard for their to unregulated harvesting and export of of local and international trade remain commercial value. More viable local valuable timbers such as mpingo. Ram- unsustainable. Changing land use from economic and export opportunities pant deforestation creates additional forestry to agriculture, in addition to are found in farming and livestock, problems. A landscape devoid of trees minimal regrowth programs and the requiring clearcutting of forests by increases soil erosion and desertifica- constantly increasing demands of the burning and illegal cutting. The tion, making any replacement growth local population, threaten the viability United Nations Food and Agriculture in such areas impossible. The FAO esti- of mpingo as a marketable resource Organization (FAO) estimates that mates that 4 million hectares of African making what stocks that do exist more agriculture coupled with overgrazing forests are lost each year for a variety of rare and expensive and less likely to and slash and burn cultivation, is purposes (an area twice the size of New see market, nevermind be available for responsible for 70 percent of all Jersey). More than 13,000 square kilo- making bagpipes. deforestation. It’s estimated that legal meters are lost through forest clearing And it just might be pipers’ mpingo harvesting represents only 4 alone. Much of this is a result of clear appetite for antique or vintage stands percent of mpingo trees cut. cutting for agriculture and illegal trade, of drones that would hammer that

42 The Voice • Fall 2007 FEATURE the different names for mpingo final nail in the “Mpingo” is Swahili, but the coffin. Greater value tree also goes by other names. placed on vintage sets and lower value q African Blackwood (English), on new sets would q Pau preto (Portuguese) put pressure on the use of blackwood q Grenadilla (trade name) for drones, thereby q Zebrawood (trade name) diverting the wood to q Other African names in- other uses. Cheaper clude Mugembe, Poyi, Endisika, blackwood for other Kidamo, Kinti, Masojanda, Mgem- uses might make it bya, Mhembote, Mhingo, that much harder Minday, Mupako, Mwajinde, Ngem- to obtain good bi, Nyamfunga, Oitlaska, Q’oya,Tam quality wood for umo mhembete making bagpipes, and make obtaining instrument-quality Africa posesses a large portion of the world’s primary growth wood prohibitive forests. An area twice the size of New Jersey dissapears each for many pipe year, without hope of return. Slash and burn deforestation the different uses makers, reducing techniques, the prinary method, adversely affects the growth of for mpingo the number of new mpingo, making it unsuitable for instrumetns. sets. The resulting In addition to the well known increased value of own prosperity. The greatest threat to carvings and musical instru- existing or vintage blackwood sets just the supply of African blackwood these ments, the mpingo tree is also might place bagpiping in general out of days would seem to be the very global used for traditional medicine. reach for the average enthusiast. marketplace that provides greater trade in timber generally. q The roots can be used to treat Just as in Kenya, local abdominal pain, hernia, and gonor- turn off your mobile for infrastructure improvements—bridges, rhoea. The smoke of burning roots blackwood improved roads—can make cutting is inhaled to treat headaches and The continuous supply of mature bronchitis. blackwood today says more about a and transporting timber less expensive more active global marketplace than it and more lucrative in other countries q The bark from the root and the throughout sub-Saharan Africa—for a stem is an antidiarrhetic. does about the amount of supply or its method of harvest. Population expan- time. Such activities clear the way for q The juice from is used to sion, greater worldwide trade, and de- changing land use making conservation treat sore throats, heart problems, mand for particular goods all contribute programs and forest regeneration a low dysentery, syphilis, and gonorrhoea. to satisfactory supplies of blackwood as priority for the locals. A decade of civil war and unrest q A decoction of the bark is used a byproduct. Loggers are able to reach in the Democratic Republic of for cleaning wounds.. mature trees deeper within forests because of improved roads. Population Congo—as well as spillover racial increases lead to more manpower to ac- violence in neighboring countries such complish greater volume of timer har- as Rwanda—has allowed unmanaged vest. By itself though, the mpingo tree exploitation of a number of natural does not provide the local population, resources. Timber conservation is much of whom live in poverty, with a probably the least fashionable use sustainable or viable option for their of national funds in countries such as DRC. Prime examples of this can The area of the Congo River basin is under be seen in the west of Africa where immense deforestation and exploitation. primary forests have disappeared, and Neighboring countries such as Tanzania illegal logging and resource harvesting and Mozambique stand to feel the disrup- increase at a rate that exceeds global tions in commercial trade of all resources, averages. Locally, the mpingo tree is including mpingo. already easily ignored in favor of other

The Voice • Fall 2007 43 FEATURE economically viable harvests. river basin, deep in the heart of contribution to the instabilities under Next time you want to ponder the miombo woodlands. In a region where which all timber supplies—including sustainable supply of mpingo, think fast money is to be made from digging mpingo—suffer. of it the next time you make a call on in the dirt to feed a hearty appetite for Miombo forests suffer greatly your mobile phone. Who would have electronic gizmos, an easy choice is across Africa. Their health is vital thought that an upgrade to that newer made over commercial timber harvest for the biodiversity that is needed for model phone, would make a dent in the when the land can be bought or stolen sustainable timber harvest, agriculture, supply of wood available for bagpipes? and clear cut for later . It’s and local prosperity. Conservation It is not something that typically comes estimated that 1.1 million hectares of efforts across African countries result to mind, but the need for coltan, the forests per year disappear in this area— in large areas of protected land, but primary mineral in cell phone and an area nearly the size of Connecticut. even with this, fragmentation of computer components has led to a host Timber money is just icing on the cake. ecosystems result having a severe of local abuses in the DRC, fueling The number of mobile phones impact on the integrity of protected years of political unrest. Money is to has continued to grow by 30 percent and unprotected lands. Add to this be made in the mining of this mineral annually, adding some 300 million increased desertification and population both for local workers and land owners. phones each year. And current growth and the conditions exist to Corruption is rampant as is abhorrent growth trends for personal mp3 threaten the sustainability of future criminality such as increased rape and players, handheld game systems, and markets for sensitive natural resources murder. smartphones such as the Blackberry such as timber. Why does this matter? (Aside show no sign of abating. The global from the obvious humanitarian issues, appetite for flashy communication Part II will explore current conservation efforts that is.) Coltan is mined in the Congo gadgets perhaps makes the greatest as well as innovations and substitutions by makers of fine instruments.

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44 The Voice • Fall 2007 FEATURE

Blackwood Down Exploring the wood that drives our art. Part II

by Vincent Janoski

ll recent reports that delve into African timber as a resource agreeA that a sustainable market for mpingo is threatened by legal and ille- gal activities despite is high value. One thing that the numerous reports do not agree on are the specifics of the timing of such an outcome. You can find spe- cific numbers pertaining to hectares of growth, areas of harvest, timber stocks cut and sold, processed, and distribut- ed, etc. Data even goes as far to specify 80 or more years of marketable mpingo available for all uses. But what’s missing is the amount of time the legitimate market for mpingo will be completely disrupted or eliminated entirely. Is it all alarmist or are pipe makers looking at whatever stores they currently have on hand, as long as they might last, The tree (Colophospermum a new stand of drones that is higher as the only decent source of wood for mopane), an emerging substitute African priced than an older silver and ivory bagpipes? hardwood preferred by some instrument mounted vintage set? Clear-cutting and illegal harvest- makers that presents many of the same ing continue at an ever-increasing properties as African blackwood. Trees grow Conservation pace as growing populations in African in hot, dry areas of . Photo countries place greater pressure on The dangers to blackwood are com- by Declan McCullogh. resources. (See Part I, Fall 2007.) Land pounded by the ease with which it is is switched from forest growth to ag- sold. Easier routes to market entice the riculture, mpingo is cut by locals for illegal trade. Once the wood, black- fuel, and illegal timber floods markets. wood or otherwise, makes it to market A forested area just about twice size for processing, its origins do not typi- is not hard to see why the dangers exist. of New Jersey is lost each year to such cally factor into the final sale. A brief In Tanzania, such an issue has uses across Africa, all of it with no hope search on Google.com will turn up been on the mind of Sebastain Chuwa of return to continued foresting. numerous sellers of instrument qual- and Steven Ball, founders of the Afri- Given such conditions, and factor- ity blackwood. There are even eBay can Blackwood Conservation Project ing in current political instability—par- shops where one can purchase billets (ABCP) and the Mpingo Conservation ticularly in the west and central part of with bids starting out at $2. A billet of Project (MCP) respectively for many the continent—and uncertainty in the instrument quality blackwood for turn- years. The ABCP and the MPC have current global economy, it is not hard ing drones can cost as little as $30 for strived to develop programs that bal- to envision instrument-quality African a single piece from some wood dealers. ance commerce with the needs of the blackwood becoming a scarcity as we Raw billets for turning a complete set local populations for sustainable forest approach the end of the first decade of of drones can cost a maker as little as management. the 21st century. Are pipers ready for $350. With such ease and availability, it Under one part of a program de-

42 The Voice • Winter 2007 FEATURE

consumes. As a result, local popula- tions have consistently planted mpingo saplings on private and public land over the past ten to fifteen years. “The peo- ple of Tanzania want to mpingo after learning that it is good for their economic future,” Chuwa explains. “Townspeople plant the seedlings for shade and windbreaks, while farmers interplant mpingo trees in their crop- land and use them as living fences.” Well more than 1 million mpingo trees have been planted as a result of Chu- wa’s efforts, with nearly 20 to 30,000 trees being planted per year—a number Indian that nearly exceeds the trees felled per Ocean year for commercial harvest. Atlantic Tanzania Aided by the Tanzanian govern- Ocean ment, both groups are helping create a growing and legitimate source of income for Tanzanian citizens that is Original primary forest cover both sustainable and profitable. The Mozambique pilot programs in place require time to mature, and even the MCP acknowl- Current primary forest cover edges that manufacturers are currently unable to switch to sustainable timer for 100 percent of their materials. The MCP are hopeful that by 2009, sustain- ably certified blackwood will be on the market as a viable choice for instrument The above map shows the impact of several thousand years of human actvity on African makers. Given the maturity time of 70 primary forests. Primary forests—or “old growth forests”—are those forested parts of years of more for mpingo trees, these the planet that are generally older than human habitation. Nearly half of this change are programs that will require dedica- has occurred in the last 200 years. The whole of sub-Saharan Africa stands to be severly tion and continued commitment by all. adversely affected as its old growth forests disappear. the ecology-minded piper veloped by the MCP, local communities vanishing forests. The MCP also pro- So, where does all of this leave the in Tanzania are encouraged to set aside vides technical and logistical assistance modern globally-conscious Highland some of the forest growing in their to the local population to help build piper? Or still, where does it leave the area as a Village Land Forest Reserve awareness and enhance their continued pipemaker who wishes to buy legally (VLFR), which will then be under the management of their land. harvested and sustainable stock for control of the village government. Sebastain Chuwa of the ABCP their instruments? Their management of this land must has worked for many years develop- Twenty years ago, there were follow the guidelines set by the central ing sustainable agriculture techniques probably fifteen active bagpipe makers government to receive a certification of to benefit his fellow Tanzanians. In in the world producing instruments in their harvestable forestry. Once such a 1996, he turned his attention to the large quantity. In 2008, a quick count plan is certified, then the village gov- valuable mpingo tree and has worked will give you 35 active makers world- ernment owns the rights to all timber to develop educational and replanting wide—all of them producing sets in trees, including mpingo, within their programs throughout the prime grow- African blackwood. area. New laws in Tanzania also force ing regions near Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Many dealers will also stock other timber buyers to pay a fair market price ABCP stresses integrating the mpingo for instruments. Rosewood, for legitimately harvested timber, and tree with the local culture to provide walnut, cherry, and are just some strictly control the transport of that better farming options and teaching, examples if one is looking to buy an timber to better protect their quickly simply, that one must replant what one Irish flute or guitar. In fact, makers of

The Voice • Winter 2007 43 FEATURE these instruments long ago abandoned years old, and had their entire existence tradition” and give a set of pipes made blackwood as their primary material in untouched by humans. The full quality of alternative materials a chance? favor of other . Players now have of the wood was able to be drawn out Some Highland pipe makers have many options, all of which depend on by quality bagpipe makers of the time answered that question and are finding the craftsmanship and skill of the maker in stands of drones that now fetch high that other timber sources offer similar rather than the wood alone. Highland prices and are still beloved by their opportunities for creating instruments bagpipe makers, on the other hand, owners today. with unique qualities. MacLellan have been reluctant to offer substitute Bagpipes in South Carolina has been materials, relying exclusively on African Thinking Outside the Boxwood producing drones for many years from blackwood for the last 100 or so years. When supply lines are disrupted, man- South American , a of It was only British colonization ufacturers often put effort into finding Dalbergia that has many of the same and exploitation of the West Indies, Af- substitue materials for their products. physical working qualities. rican, and Asian countries that exposed Just as supplies became scarce While not as obvious in U.K. bagpipe makers to the variety of exotic with the near extinction of the , band circles, MacLellan drones are a woods available in the first place. Up instrument makers sought out alterna- common and distinctive sight on U.S. until the eighteenth century, bagpipes tives and found blackwood. One might Highland games fields. Owners of were made of local European hard- think that disruptions in blackwood MacLellan drones speak affectionately woods such as yew and boxwood. An supply over the last twenty years would of their pipe’s “old world sound” and influx of exotic timber resulting from an force bagpipe makers to start thinking the refreshing and unique harmonics. expanding British empire offered crafts- of alternatives just as their counter- Problems exist, however, with cocobolo man of all ilks a variety of possibilities. parts did 100 years ago. But in all but timber in Central and South America For instrument makers, those possibili- a few cases, pipe makers seem oblivi- that mimic those found in Africa with ties became necessary for producing ous. Highland pipers are steeped in mpingo. Cocobolo is already extinct quality sounding instruments, and this tradition, and try their best to preserve in Central America and its continued included bagpipe makers. The exotic their familiar ways. Here too, bagpipe exploitation in South America (both ebony and rosewood pouring into the makers stick to what’s known and legal and illegal) is a direct result of an country then became known for its expected in continuing to stock up on expanding global economy. quality in making musical instruments. African blackwood to feed an increas- Other makers, such as MacPher- These woods eventually became the ing demand for Highland bagpipes. In son bagpipes of Forfar, Scotland have wood of choice for all pipe makers for a 2008, however, trends suggest that this taken a cue from the makers of old and length of time, eventually driving some position will come at a price. has begun using mopane as an alterna- species to the brink of extinction. In- The stubborness that makers show tive wood for his bagpipes. Mopane is strument quality ebony and Indian rose- toward blackwood is not without prec- the local word for the Colophospermum wood must come from trees that take edent. Bagpipes made of woods other mopane tree, the only tree in this genus. 150 to 200 years to mature. Once cut, it than African blackwood have gotten a Related to the pea, mopane is more of is a long wait until the next harvest. The sour reputation by serious pipers, main- a scrub tree that grows in dry, hot lo- subsequent search for similar timers ly due to inferior sets historically made cales of southern Africa on land that is created a ready availability of African in Pakistan from native cocus and typically avoided by farmers and other blackwood that then brought pipemak- . Any makers veering from agriculture. In this, it is fairly insulated ing to another level. blackwood as their material of choice from the type of exploitation experi- The current influx of blackwood were soundly derided in the greater enced by other timbers. It’s primary use rivals, if not surpasses, the supplies of community of musicians. But does this by the local population is as fuel wood 100 years ago. Certainly, high qual- preclude blackwood as the only viable and as a source of the mopane worm, a ity sets of bagpipes are being made by choice for making bagpipes? traditional part of the local diet. modern makers but players the world Makers of smallpipes, border over will still look for those drones pipes, and Northumbrian smallpipes Unnatural Leanings made 80 to 100 years or more ago. have been experimenting with other The scarcity of natural woods have led One of the reasons vintage stands woods for many years with much suc- other makers toward synthetic manu- of drones are so coveted by players is cess. (See inset following page.) Many of factured raw materials for their instru- that the origins of mpingo harvests at these sets present an option over ebony ments. Many pipe makers offer a Delrin the time were mainly from primary or blackwood that is preferred by play- (polyoxymethylene) option for their forests, forests that no longer exist. (See ers. Here, the key is simply acceptance drones, the same material that has been map on previous page.) Trees were fully (as well as good moisture resistance). used on pipe chanters for a few decades. mature, probably well more than 100 Are Highland pipers willing to “break Some sets, such as those advanced

44 The Voice • Winter 2007 FEATURE by the late Jack Dunbar at Dunbar glass and paper back into circulation, bagpipes of Ontario, have the benefit of a movement is afoot that has people other woods years of practice to produce sets that are paying close attention to where their indistinguishable in in both sight and “stuff” comes from. And bagpipers are Several other woods currently sound from traditional wood sets. not exempt. have similar properties as Delrin has already cemented itself Bagpipe woods of the past such as African blackwood and present as an excellent material for other Celtic ebony and rosewood are endangered themselves as substitutes for woodwinds such as flutes and whistles. and have stiff restrictions on trade for making Highland bagpipes. Its increasing use for Highland bag- the their protection. It is not impossible q COCOBOLO Dalbergia retusa. pipes is a response to the growing to see a similar situation happening Orange and reddish-brown in color, uncertainty surrounding blackwood. with African blackwood. It is a logical this wood possesses many similar, Polyoxymethylene is a petroleum prod- step from there to demand more infor- if not the same, qualities as African uct, however, whose manufacture and mation on the timber that supports the blackwood. Its high value encourag- distribution brings up other environ- art of bagpiping, and demand higher es illegal over-expoitation in Central mental and economic issues. standards from pipe makers, wood deal- and South America. In Oregon, Pipe Makers Union is ers, and suppliers. successfully experimenting with Car- Just as people demand, for ex- q ROSEWOOD , bony, a “space-age” carbon fiber mate- ample, that their local market stock Brazilian rosewood, had been used rial being used in the production of produce that is grown organically from for musical instruments for at least practice and pipe chanters. Owner Rob sustainable local agriculture, Highland a century. It is probably the best Gándara is designing pipe chanters, pipers can demand of makers that the for musical instruments but is now a protected and endangered tree digiridoos, and flutes from this unique pipes they lust for are turned from because of overharvesting. Dalber- material. Carbony (carbon + ebony) be- blackwood obtained from legal harvests gia latifolia, East Indian rosewood is gins as typcial carbon fiber of the type on sustainable forest land. With such a more common among flute makers being used in automotive and aerospace demand on pipe makers, it is then nec- and luthiers and possesses many industries. The material is impregnated essary for them to place the same de- desirable qualities for musical instru- with an epoxy resin and is then molded mands on their wood dealers. Forcing ments. into tubes much like processed black- change through natural market activity wood billets. Carbon fiber has found its is always a better option to draconian q TULIPWOOD Dalbergia decipu- place as a preferred material on modern governmental bans or sanctions. laris. A wood possessing many of drone reeds. Its application on full in- Perhaps the simplest approach is the same qualitites as other species struments is a logical step. The formula encouraging the use of native timbers of Dalbergia along with tall growth for Carbony is a closely guarded secret, in the production of instruments. Small (excess of 100 feet). The wood has however, but the material bodes well as efforts in North America and the U.K. a light, deep yellow appearance as opposed to the deep blacks and a suitable alternative to wood in several are at work planting local trees on plan- browns of other trees in the genus, types of woodwinds. tations for eventual harvest. Walnut, making acceptance among musi- maple, ash, sycamore, cherry, apple, cians an issue. Conclusion and other fruitwood have a historical q We live in a consumer culture and place in bagpipe making and could pro- MOPANE Colophospermum being “green” or environmentally con- vide a local alternative to the Dalbergia mopane. A relative of the pea in the legume family of flora, mopane cious is a trend that has major manufac- species used today. The environmental- timber is oily, heavy, and possesses turers and retailers taking notice. Com- ly conscious adage “think globally, act nearly the same qualities as mpingo panies are coming around to the idea locally” can surely be applied to musical instrument making—particularly in the in all respects: Locals burn it for fuel that being environmentally friendly is and it is increasingly becoming a just good business. Environmentally bagpipe maker’s workshop. The art of Highland piping will be better for it. wood of choice for woodwinds such aware citizens are delving into the as clarinets. The fact that it grows in source and manufacture of many of the dry, hot areas of Africa lends itself to products they use everyday in an effort greater sustainability but its limited to consume products with an “Earth- growing range perhaps restricts its friendly” impact. Whether it is using widespread use. green building materials, alternative fuels such as biodiesel, buying fair-trade products from countries with sound economic policies, or simply putting

The Voice • Winter 2007 45