Is all rosewood illegal?

The most widely traded illegal wild product in the world today is rosewood, an endangered hardwood prized for its use in traditional Chinese furniture.

Is it illegal to use rosewood?

No, it is not illegal to buy or ship rosewood across international borders. However, specific regulations and laws must be followed to purchase or ship rosewood. To successfully import rosewood into the U.S., you will need an export certificate from the exporting country's CITES management authority.

Why is rosewood restricted?

The restrictions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — commonly referred to as CITES — went into effect in 2017, after strong demand for high-end rosewood furniture in China led to conservation worries and violence in areas that produce the wood.

Why is Indian rosewood illegal?

In January of 2017, the CITES convention (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Geneva, Switzerland passed a ban on the use of rosewood and Bubinga as tonewoods, making it more difficult to ship or travel with musical instruments made with any amount of these endangered ...

Is rosewood illegal in Australia?

If you are importing rosewood harvested after the listing date (2 January 2017), you will require a CITES (re) export permit from the exporting country and an Australian CITES import permit. These are valid for 6 months and can be issued for a single use import or for multiple imports.

ILLEGAL ROSEWOOD FELLING

What guitar wood is illegal?

An international crackdown on illegal logging in tropical forests has ensnared the makers of some guitars and other musical instruments, whose top-end products require small amounts of rosewood, a material prized for its rich, multicolored grain and resonant sound.

What type of rosewood is banned?

In 2013, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listed all types of Madagascar rosewood as Appendix II, prohibiting their trade except in the rare cases in which a local CITES authority has issued sustainability permits.

Can rosewood be sold?

Selling Brazilian Rosewood

As can be seen in the article, most guitars made with Dalbergia Nigra can be sold, as long as they are sold with the correct documentation, where required. There are certain dates to take into account. – All instruments built before 3rd March 1947 are considered antique and are not affected.

Is Brazilian rosewood illegal?

As a result, most nations throughout the world declared it illegal to harvest, export or import any Brazilian rosewood (including products produced from Brazilian rosewood) harvested after 1992.

Can you import rosewood?

To import rosewood into the United States, you need to have an export certificate from the “CITES Management Authority” in the exporting country, and then have your import cleared by U.S. Customs, which uses guidelines developed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

How much is a rosewood tree worth?

This high demand for the wood, coupled with its growing rarity has resulted in prices soaring, with them exceeding $17,000 per ton a few years ago, which is ten times the cost of other tropical hardwood species. Thai rosewood, in particular, can reach values exceeding $50,000 per cubic meter.

Is Indian rosewood legal?

The good news is that if you own an item made of rosewood, you should be able to travel with it without issue. But the bad news is that if you are selling any type of rosewood (either as lumber, or as a finished product), you can no longer (legally) ship it out of your country.

Can I travel with a rosewood guitar?

Carrying such an instrument across international borders is legal if the substances it contains were incorporated into it pre-CITES (1947 for ivory, 1973 for Hawksbill shell and 1975 for Brazilian rosewood).

Is rosewood banned in UK?

Within the UK it is illegal to advertise, trade, buy or sell a guitar containing Brazilian Rosewood without the instrument having an Article 10 certificate. This applies to dealers, retailers and private sales, eBay, Reverb, Facebook – basically anyone having a commercial interest or gain, every base is covered.

Can I sell Brazilian rosewood?

Again, this provision has been in the regulations since 2007 and remains unchanged. It allows you to sell, buy, or otherwise transfer your Brazilian rosewood guitar so long as the rosewood was certified as “pre-Convention,” no matter when it was imported into the US.

How do you identify rosewood?

Rosewood — This wood gets its name from the scent it gives off when you cut it, much like the flower. It can look similar to mahogany, but has fine black or white rings and is much heavier lumber.

Does rosewood grow in the US?

The rosewood tree is considered tropical, growing best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 11, which includes areas that enjoy warm climates such as Hawaii. Despite its preference for tropical climes, the rosewood can tolerate temperatures down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can you import rosewood to the UK?

Popular antique and vintage products such as furniture made from rosewood, reptile skin accessories and tortoiseshell boxes will all need documentation from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in order to be legally transported between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Great Britain and the EU from 1 January ...

Why do Chinese want rosewood?

Rosewood has long been used to make musical instruments and furniture but, partly because of its association with the revered Ming dynasty (1368-1644), it has become a status symbol for China's growing, increasingly affluent middle class.

Is rosewood still used for fretboards?

The American Elite series is transitioning to ebony fretboards with dealers and our inventories. Rosewood is still used on many series of instruments, as it is a historically accurate tone wood. The changeover will be somewhat fluid in the market, there is no set date at this time.

When did fender stop using rosewood?

In 2017 when CITES imposed restrictions on instruments featuring rosewood, Fender made a few changes. Now that those restrictions have been lifted, Fender use a combination of rosewood, pau ferro and ebony. So how do these tonewoods compare? Let's take a look at the differences.

Is rosewood illegal in Canada?

Rosewood specimens which enter Canada after January 2, 2017 must be accompanied by a CITES authorization from the exporting country. A copy of this authorization will need to accompany any requests for re-export of the rosewood.

Can you sell rosewood furniture?

Can Rosewood be traded? Under CITES, trading in rosewood products made prior to 1947 is perfectly permissible.

Is mahogany legal?

Following the path of ivory, in 2003, mahogany was listed on the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a species in need of strict regulation to prevent its extinction. Because Peruvian mahogany is traded in violation of CITES, it is illegal to trade or possess it under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.