VellaJ wrote:
2 words: fur coats. How many genuine fur coats do you see today? None. Why? Because it's seriously uncool these days to have a slaughtered endangered mammal around your throat. So clothing manufacturers use substitutes. Why can't it be the same for timber-related industries?
I don't think the timber industry in general is the problem. Properly cultivated commercial forests can provide sustainable sources of certain woods, including spruce for use (haha) in instruments.
The problem is that there are markets for rare and desirable (and sometimes restricted or illicit) goods, and as long as there's someone to sell these things to, people will find ways to exploit them. Guitar builders have also often experimented with different materials (how about all the composite stuff in the Parker Fly?) but people are slow to warm to alternatives.
As for fur coats: the fur clothing industry is bigger today than it has ever been, in particular in Russia and China.
