How to Build Violins Sustainably

When we think of violin making, we think of tradition and handwork.  The famous London shop of Hill & Sons’ brilliant marketing of Stradivari as a lone maker, carving by candlelight has perpetuated for over a hundred years.  That “small scale” image is reflected in our lutherie schools and has allowed us to avoid the environmental impact we are accessory to either subconsciously or consciously – until now.

In fact, the manufacturing of bowed string instruments (bows are for this project considered an instrument) has been on a large scale for roughly 200 years.  Mirecourt, Markneukirchen, Bubenreuth  and more recently cities in Asia have produced as many as 100,000 student instruments a year for over 100 years. Mass production is a not a modern idea.

Manufacturing has had an impact.  So far, temperate soft and hardwood species, maple and spruce, have kept up with demand as best we know.  But, rumors suggest our consumption of even these common species is having an impact on tonewood supplies as production continues to ramp up.  Tropical woods including pernambuco and ebony have succumbed to manufacturing demands, achieving a CITES listing as a last ditch effort to preserve these once-common species.  Pernambuco is the poster child for the difficulties facing scientists and governments trying to preserve species whose demand promotes illegal logging and an illicit trade that mirrors drug-related crimes with equivalent financial rewards.  Ebony is close behind with the domino effect for ebony species as the manufacturers move from country to country in search of new sources to replace those that have dried up.

Current methods of sourcing and use of materials is unsustainable. Pernambuco will only be available from existing stock, and potentially limited supplies from plantations in the forseeable future.  Ebony, or similar woods collectively called Ebony are currently coming from just three west African countries and (if you include African Blackwood in your definition of Ebony) East Africa.  True Ebony, Diospyrus Crassiflora, from west Africa is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.  Like Ebony, traditional Maple and spruce tonewood sources will be heavily impacted according to climate change models.

It is time to change how we source our wood, incorporate alternative materials where possible, and develop the knowledge base for diversifying our tonewood options.

How is Climate Change Affecting Instrument Making?

Current climate change models predict a 9 degrees Fahrenheit rise in temperature in the next 60-80 years.  To put this in perspective, the last glacial age in North America roughly 10,000 years ago was 11 degrees. In New England, that change melted the glaciers of Vermont and reduced the Champlain Sea to our, much smaller, Lake Champlain.  Efforts are in place to limit the temperature increase to roughly 3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2030, but there is no consensus that the limits will be achieved—it seems unlikely.

When regional climates change slowly, species will naturally “migrate” to areas better suited; usually to higher latitudes or higher elevation. But the rapid rate of average temperature increases exceeds the ability of tree species and forest communities to migrate naturally.  Western European spruce tonewood tends to be found in high elevation forests in the Alps.  These species would have to migrate to higher elevations.  The reality is that the slopes, hydrology, soils to name a few factors make that migration almost impossible.  In the northeastern United States, another source of red spruce and maple tonewood, forest communities cannot migrate fast enough to outrun the temperature rise.  Scientists predict New England’s maple, birch and beech forests will transform into oak, aspen and birch forests similar to West Virginia by the end of the century.  Red spruce will move to higher elevations where possible and see significant reductions in population size.  Anecdotally, our shop had the serendipitous opportunity to purchase a lot of 100 pieces of red maple from the Catskill region of NY, roughly 250 miles south of us, and compare it with red maple from further north in New England that we had been working with for the past couple of years.  Although still good for violin making, the wood does feel and sound different; a slightly softer texture and more chipping during graduation.  Although subjective, it suggests warmer climates will, if not significantly decrease the population size, change the physical structure of the new populations of wood.

If trees, possibly with human assisted migration, manage to remain in their current locations; climate change will create more opportunities for disease, pests, and environmental hits such as floods and fires. For example, a report on the impact of climate change on Big Leaf maple in the pacific northwest was grim.  The report suggests that the rising temperatures impact the trees’ overall health and ability to compete with other species.  The trees’ ability to fight disease and pest attacks declines as new diseases and pests are introduced with the altered climate.  In Canada, the boreal forest fires have been unusually large and long lasting as the drier climate has dried the peat-based environment.  In other words, assisted migration is not a full proof recipe for the survival of these maple and spruce forest communities.

For species approaching or on the endangered species lists, climate change is almost certainly enough to push species over the edge of survival.  The IPCC 6th assessment estimate over 10,000 species will disappear by the end of this century if current temperature models are accurate.  Pernambuco and ebony species would likely be on the list of extinctions.  Perhaps plantations will help preserve them.  But experience with plantations does not tell a promising story. The efforts to bring back the American Chestnut from near extinction from the Asian blight of the mid 1900’s has been long and fraught.  For the purposes of tonewood, we should also be aware that most research suggests that trees growing in plantations are physically different than those grown in natural forests environments (see the Kew gardens comments in the plants committee survey for pernambuco from June 2023).  Competition for light, water and mineral resources in forest environments are not mimicked in plantations.  Plantations are also susceptible to disease and pests requiring the use of herbicides and pesticides to protect the trees.  Plantations are more akin to agrobusiness than forest conservation.

Can Violin Tone Woods be Sustainably Harvested?

The answer to this lies in part in just how we define Sustainability. The definition of Sustainability as used by the PEFC, FSC and SFI now incorporates community economic development as well as the health of the forest environment the wood comes from.  It is a conservation, not a preservation, based definition. In other words, the forests are seen as a source of materials for humanity, as opposed to the inherent right of the forest communities to exist without us.  The controversy between the two approaches can be seen in the EU push for a stronger regeneration approach and Cameron’s 2023 CITES position paper.  The Vulnerable IUCN listing for Diospyros Crassiflora puts pressure on the export of valuable ebony logging (and other timber species) from three west African countries: Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. One estimate suggests that only 3-7% of the logs being cut are usable for the music industry, with uniform black centers (heartwood) without checking or cracks.  2/3 of the usable ebony logs from this region are apparently going to India and China.  We don’t know in what capacity they are being used, but it is safe to assume a significant portion are being used for the music industry.  The EU is pushing for regeneration, limiting logging to the ability of the species involved to maintain current population size and a “healthy” balance of different age trees instead of skimming off the larger older trees and leaving an imbalanced forest structure.  Cameroon and Ghana have been trying to build their timber economy, arguing that the EUs proposal does not take into account the economic needs of the country.  Their expressed concern being that without viable market value for the trees, there is no reason to keep the land in forestry.  Cameroon has proposed dividing existing forest into three parts – a smaller portion for reserves for preservation, a sector for “sustainable” timber management (not regeneration) and the third for multi-use. The proposal sounds similar to the systems currently in place (with varied effectiveness) in Europe, the US and Canada.  This system was also developed/implemented through the 1800s and 1900s before climate change was a relevant factor.  The EUs proposal for more stringent timber management practices reflects growing interest in preserving forest ecosystems to serve as carbon storage banks to limit climate change. Tropical forests may be more effective at doing this than temperate forests.  Ethically, economically, politically this approach has obvious flaws.