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Fish and Wildlife Service Raids Guitar Maker
Agency investigates use of wood products at Gibson Guitar
Fish and Wildlife Service agents raided the Nashville factory of famed guitar maker Gibson on Tuesday, in apparent enforcement action under the expanded Lacey Act, the Nashville Tennesean reported.
Officials were mum about possible seizures of imported hardwoods such as mahogany and rosewood that Gibson puts into its instruments, the newspaper reported.
Congress last year amended the century-old Lacey Act, which had been used to halt international traffic in endangered animal species, to include trade in illegally-harvested logs and wood products.
In a statement on its Web site, Gibson said it was fully cooperating with FWS. The company said it sources wood certified by the international Forest Stewardship Council, and “non-certified suppliers ensuring that all certified products meet FSC requirements.”
The company said that Gibson chairman and chief executive Henry Juszkiewicz is a board member of the Rainforest Alliance, “and takes the issue of certification very seriously.” The Nashville newspaper noted that Gibson is an advocate for the use of sustainably-harvested woods in instrument manufacture.
Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com.
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