Last week we talked about regulating the tropical forests and international organizations like CITES. These factors are important to consider as the lumber is harvested, processed, and exported to the US. Once that lumber hits our shores, a different kind of regulation, called The Lacey Act, kicks in that is unique to the US. This regulation holds everyone in the supply chain accountable for legal logging practices; from the lumberjack to the carpenter. What Is The Lacey Act? The Lacey Act, … [Read more...]
Search Results for: lacey act
EU Timber Regulation Provides Lacey Act Guidance
In March of 2013 the European Union's Timber Regulation (EUTR) legislation went into effect. Simply put, EUTR is Europe's version of the US Lacey Act as it relates to lumber production. There are similarities between the two laws and a lot of differences. For instance, EUTR does consider certifications (FSC/PEFC) and verifications (TLTV/VLO) as risk mitigation when conducting "due diligence," whereas Lacey ignores these completely. Lumber carrying CITES or FLEGT permits is automatically in … [Read more...]
Lacey Act Compliance Becomes a Little Less Cloudy
It has been more than a year since we wrote about the Lacey Act. What then was something not many people had heard about, let alone understood, has now become front page news since the seizure of material from Gibson Guitars. With 60% of our business in importing exotic hardwoods, we were riveted to the details of this case and wondered how the vaguely worded legislation would be enforced. The phrase "due care" gets used a lot in the Lacey Act amendment on lumber, yet no one has been able to … [Read more...]
A Real Life Lacey Act Example
We have mentioned several times that we often visit our lumber mills around the world to ensure quality and legality. On a recent trip to Peru, our exotic buyer, Caroline McIlvain got a look at some beautiful Genuine Mahogany. She also came face to face with a pack of lumber that we bought but was never exported. This was some time ago so all the details are a little fuzzy, but I thought it was a great example of what good, long standing relationships with sawmills can do for you, and how the … [Read more...]
How Much Will My Lumber Cost?
This is a question that probably is asked several thousand times a second in the lumber business. No matter whether the customer is buying hardwood, softwood, plywood, or even a milled wood product, it all comes down to, "How much will it cost?" I think the lumber industry has developed a bad reputation for keeping its cards too close to the vest on price, much to the chagrin of its customers. I can't tell you how many times I have walked into a lumber yard with no idea of how much I was … [Read more...]
Myanmar Import License Will Encourage Reform and Sustainability in the Timber Market
Effective July of 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has granted a license to import wood directly from the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE). This license is granted solely to International Wood Products Association (IWPA) members, and J. Gibson McIlvain has been a long standing member of IWPA. The implications of this license are exciting as there has been so much confusion about the Myanmar timber (and specifically Teak) market, and now we finally have a … [Read more...]
Ipe Wood Decking Quality Control
We pride ourselves on high standards for quality control. Every stick of lumber we sell has been thoroughly inspected and graded multiple times for stability, appearance, and consistency. In many instances we inspect our lumber with customer specifications in mind to exactly meet the demands of the particular job. Decking products pose a problem however as they are milled and moulded in Brazil before shipping and very difficult for us to monitor the quality. Over the years, J. Gibson … [Read more...]
CITES and Lumber Import Regulation
Last week we talked about how the lumber import business is actually keeping the rainforests vibrant and well managed. As lumber importers we need to be very aware of how government regulation will change the way we do business. Not only how processes change, but who is responsible, and liable, for what. Navigating this quagmire is our job as the importer of record, but we also want our customers to know what it means for their business. The lumber industry is probably the first group to be … [Read more...]
Bob Taylor says B Grade is Worthwhile
Bob Taylor, President of Taylor guitars recently posted a video on YouTube about the Ebony trade. We have been talking about it for a few days around here and I thought it was time to write a little something about it. First off, I applaud Mr Taylor for taking a stance and publishing this video. The overwhelming takeaway is that it takes 10 trees to find one that is A grade while the remaining 9 trees rot on the forest floor. The more people that can view this video and realize this the … [Read more...]
Why J Gibson McIlvain
Over the last 6-8 months I have spoken with many of our customers and our sales staff in an effort to understand our place in the market and why people buy from us. The stories and feedback I got were powerful and helped to crystallize some points that have been running around my head for several months relating to why someone should use J Gibson McIlvain as their wood supplier. In every instance I was able to boil it down to 4 points that I believe are our key value adds. Wood Species … [Read more...]