Jenkins Woodworking
                        Fine wood tools for fiber artists. 
     
                       Exotic Woods Selection and Philosophy

Occasionally we have customers asking about the viability our wood sources. We appreciate the concern people have for taking care of this planet and its resources. We too are conscious of not abusing the environment and natural habitats. Ed has spent quite a bit of time on the internet and on the phone tracking down and talking with wood dealers in an effort to find those who buy only products that have been harvested legally – and even more importantly – with long-term sustainability practices so we can purchase the wood we use with good conscience.

We love using local woods which Ed gets directly from farmers we personally know who practice good woodlot management. All the walnut that we use is grown in the US, most of it obtained from our area in Oregon. Quilted Maple is from the Big Leaf Maple which is so prolific in some areas it's considered a "weed" tree. A farmer just up the road has Big Leaf Maple trees scattered across his vast, hilly acreage.He selectively harvests individual trees which he then mills himself. When he's finished he gives Ed a call to come and get it. Ed picks up the wood and stores it in a dry shed until the water content has been released and the wood is cured.

Osage Orange is native to Midwestern United States. It is a very durable, dense wood – perhaps the hardest wood in N. America – with qualities that made it sought after by Native Americans to use in bow making and clubs. The trees have thorns making it a formidable barrier which was used extensively throughout the lower plains states as wind breaks and for natural fencing until the development of barbed wire. Osage Orange has also been used for artificial limbs and crutches due to its strength and durability.

The term exotic only refers to the fact that it is not native, or common, to North America (with the exception of Osage Orange). Perhaps I should use the term non-native hardwood rather than exotic.

Pink Ivory is a common fruit tree in SE Africa, Amboyna Burl and Beeswing Narra are from the same tree which is planted along boulevards throughout SE Asia. Ebony is from African plantations.

Bolivian Rosewood, Canary, Cocobolo, Purpleheart, and Brazilian Cherry (also known as Jatoba) are all purchased from dealers who buy only from legal plantations and loggers practicing conscientious methods on controlled woodlots in Mexico and Central America. Ed has personally talked with wood buyers who make their living importing legal timber. They are careful as to where they obtain the wood, buying only from plantations using sound harvesting methods since they do not want to import something illegal that could potentially shut them down.

In wood harvesting throughout the world, the biggest issue is the need for ongoing education. We have a friend who grew up in the Amazon rain forest and first hand watched, and helped, the indigenous people annually practiced slash-burning to plant crops of manioc – their staple food. This is a centuries old practice and great effort has been made (ongoing) to teach them to selectively cut and replant new trees after the manioc harvest that rather than simply burn the forest, thereby providing a living for their family while looking ahead to the future. Without the ability for some indigenous people to selectively harvest and replant, these people groups would literally starve to death. They have to work with what they have, where they live; yet at the same time it's crucial that long-term management and harvesting is not denied but carefully taught and encouraged. It is a delicate balance.

We have a sylvaculturist friend who has been studying and practicing the effects of selective harvesting and planting wisely for the long term, using models from Europe where some areas have practiced tree management through many generations with the goal of making their woodlots to be viable and healthy 400 years in the future. This is the attitude and practice we support and encourage.

Fine wood tools for fiber artists.

 

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