GONE! 70k Acres of Old-Growth National Forest

As part of a Dec 2014 defense bill Congress released 70,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest to the Sealaska Corporation for logging and development.

Clearcut Logging @Amy Gulick 

Sealaska is the logging corp. featured in the Musicwood documentary that Bob Taylor (Taylor Guitars), Dave Berryman (Gibson guitars), and Chris Martin (Martin guitars) visited in an effort to protect the old-growth forrest through responsible logging methods. Most of the Sitka spruce tops found on their acoustic guitars come from this region, the future of which is threatened by clearcutting.

Sadly, there doesn't appear to be any slowing in the logging of what little remains of our old-growth forests. 

Here are a few links to more comprehensive reports:
- Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics  
- Juneau Empire
- Alaska Public Media
- Sitka Conservation Society 

It is interesting to see how they compare to the AP story printed on CNBC 2 Feb 2015:

SITKA, Alaska (AP) — The regional Native corporation for southeast Alaska will log 3,400 acres of land this year that it received in December through federal legislation.
The federal government turned over a total of 70,000 acres of Tongass National Forest to Sealaska Corp., KCAW-radio (http://bit.ly/1Dp8mmu) reported.

"The old-growth resource that we have on the Tongass is limited," Thoms said. "And it's a shame when we see it exported overseas in the round without any processing or manufacturing in the region. And once that old-growth resource is gone, it's gone."

Sealaska contends log-preparation work provides jobs to about as many people as processing in mills. 

This short video from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership provides context missing from the AP reports:

Loosing forest such as this is disturbing, but we can still make a difference by raising awareness-- tell your friends what's happening, share this blog, start your own, and VOTE! You can also take action by purchasing guitars built only by manufactures who purchase woods from suppliers that practice responsible stewardship-- such as those who are FSC certified.

Stay Tuned & In Tune!~ 

Welcome 2015!

2014 was a great year-- and there is much I have to catch the blog up with-- so be sure to keep an eye out for weekly updates!

In the meantime, here are a few things to hold you over:

The Music Wood  documentary was one of the main reasons I created this blog. It is an excellent film-- and YOU can check it out right now  through "Hoopla."   It is an online digital resource much like Netflix that many fine libraries in the US provide free access to-- all that's needed is a library card! It is such a great film that one viewing simply isn't enough-- watch it on Hoopla, then visit their website to buy yourself a copy-- or two!

"Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People" is a wonderful resource for theory presented in easy to follow, single page format. Just click on one page each day, give it a read with your morning coffee & bagel... you'll be taking your playing to the next level~





Legendary guitar builder/designer Dean Zelinsky has partnered with the nonprofit, Guitars for Vets to offer a pay-it-forward incentive-- you buy one of his custom limited edition G4V guitars, and Dean donates one to a Veteran in need through Guitars for Vets-- an organization that helps Vets thorough the healing power of music. The guitars are VERY affordable and customizable (they even engrave your name into the neck if you like) and because the purchase helps a Veteran in need this program is truly a win-win situation for everyone~

Until next time...
                        Stay tuned, & in tune!