Wisdom Tree Institute: Lutherie and Sustainability
Wisdom Tree Institute is an online collection of resources focused on the topics of sustainability as it relates to the art of lutherie (making and repairing stringed instruments), materials and supplies for stringed instruments, and the health, history, importance, and benefits of trees. Wisdom Tree Institute developed out of Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery Director and Co-Founder William Eaton's vision for drawing more attention to sustainability practices in the art of lutherie and in the workplace. Wisdom Tree Institute encourages everyone to take a moment to appreciate trees, the oxygen they provide, and the innate intelligence and wisdom they bring from their 360 million year existence on planet Earth. We hope you will find useful and interesting information on our resources pages, and our Blog (coming soon).
One of our goals at Wisdom Tree Institute is to encourage luthiers to make informed choices as it relates to sustainability and their art. On our Resources pages, we provide a list of articles, websites, and books discussing topics such as sustainability as it pertains to the art of lutherie, guitar making and the selection of tonewoods and tonewood alternatives, our symbiotic relationships with trees, tree anatomy and respiration, and sustainable organizations in Arizona. While our focus is primarily geared towards the art of guitar making, we make an effort to cover related topics of interest as well (such as reforestation efforts, plant communication, and plant neurobiology). Our blog (coming soon) is dedicated to exploring these topics and includes original content written by the team at Wisdom Tree Institute.
What is environmental sustainability?
Provided here are three definitions of environmental sustainability:
What is sustainable lutherie?
Sustainable lutherie is the conscious effort to make decisions that ensure the future survival of our forests, that further impact environmental and climate conditions, locally and globally, during the process of building or repairing musical instruments.
Wisdom Tree Institute encourages luthiers, who rely on wood for the building of many instruments, to take into consideration the environmental footprint of guitar manufacturers and individual lutherie shops (and their own individual impact as a luthier), the types of tonewoods (or tonewood alternatives, such as bamboo, flaxwood, carbon fiber, recycled materials, etc.) used to create instruments, the manner in which the tonewoods are harvested and if the forests are responsibly managed (FSC-certified), and what tree re-planting efforts we can make on local and global scales.
One of our goals at Wisdom Tree Institute is to encourage luthiers to make informed choices as it relates to sustainability and their art. On our Resources pages, we provide a list of articles, websites, and books discussing topics such as sustainability as it pertains to the art of lutherie, guitar making and the selection of tonewoods and tonewood alternatives, our symbiotic relationships with trees, tree anatomy and respiration, and sustainable organizations in Arizona. While our focus is primarily geared towards the art of guitar making, we make an effort to cover related topics of interest as well (such as reforestation efforts, plant communication, and plant neurobiology). Our blog (coming soon) is dedicated to exploring these topics and includes original content written by the team at Wisdom Tree Institute.
What is environmental sustainability?
Provided here are three definitions of environmental sustainability:
- Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Definition from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development)
- Sustainability is the capacity to improve the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of the Earth’s supporting eco-systems. (Definition from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN)
- Sustainability is about stabilizing the currently disruptive relationship between earth’s two most complex systems – human culture and the living world. (Definition by environmentalist Paul Hawkin)
What is sustainable lutherie?
Sustainable lutherie is the conscious effort to make decisions that ensure the future survival of our forests, that further impact environmental and climate conditions, locally and globally, during the process of building or repairing musical instruments.
Wisdom Tree Institute encourages luthiers, who rely on wood for the building of many instruments, to take into consideration the environmental footprint of guitar manufacturers and individual lutherie shops (and their own individual impact as a luthier), the types of tonewoods (or tonewood alternatives, such as bamboo, flaxwood, carbon fiber, recycled materials, etc.) used to create instruments, the manner in which the tonewoods are harvested and if the forests are responsibly managed (FSC-certified), and what tree re-planting efforts we can make on local and global scales.
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guitars designed and built by William Eaton
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Trees have been integral to our survival, our musical expression, and our sense of well-being and peace for as long as we have been residents of the earth. Trees provide us with important resources such as paper, furniture, and building supplies; they give us the ability to express ourselves artistically through the music of wood instruments; and they benefit our very existence through their respiration cycle, their cooling shade, their ability to combat climate change and to provide food, and their prevention of water pollution and soil erosion. Trees provide a multitude of benefits in both 'urban' and ‘natural’ forests, not just for humans but for all the flora and fauna in their surrounding ecosystems; enriching a complex network of communicating species that depend on each other for surviving and thriving. Simply put, we would not exist without the presence of trees.
You may be wondering, why the need for sustainability? Many prized tonewoods used to build guitars, such as rosewood, ebony, and mahogany, have traditionally come from areas that are clear-cut by loggers, which destroys the rich biodiversity in the search for old growth timber (much of which is becoming extinct). While trees are considered a renewable resource because of their ability to grow back and replenish themselves, the over-logging of certain species of trees and the process of clear-cutting forests limits our resources and requires our conscious attention if we want to prevent their extinction (and our own). Trees themselves may be considered renewable, but forests are not. Because of the complex diversity and web of many interdependent organisms in the surrounding ecosystem, replenishing forests is not as simple as re-planting just any type of tree (such as planting only one species, depriving the area of biodiversity). Multiple variables must be taken into consideration when actively reforesting a depleted area, which may include but is not limited to considering the soil nutrition, climate, sunlight exposure, etc. In order to continue the practice of making instruments, we need to preserve and replant our forests for future generations to enjoy. The need for sustainability starts with us, now, so that others in the future can benefit from trees. There are numerous reasons to preserve and re-plant our forests aside from ensuring the survival of musical instruments, including trees’ ability to combat effects of global warming, trees’ benefits to the wildlife in their surrounding ecosystem, and their aid in preventing water, soil, and air pollution.
Human beings have a rich history with trees and have had a symbiotic relationship, sharing a deep connection with them, since our appearance on earth: we are interconnected in nature. Trees provide resources like oxygen, food, and medicine. The presence of trees reminds us of our interconnectedness with nature and “gives us a sense of place” (Ruth Wilson). The first plants to move from the sea onto land did so around 430 million years ago. The first trees (big plants 30 meters high with woody stems, roots, and leaves) evolved around 360 million years ago (“Earth and Life Through Time”, Steven Stanley). Modern humans (Homo sapiens) appeared around 200,000 years ago. “The 200,000 date refers to the earliest known anatomically modern humans, skeletons found at places like Omo and Herto in Ethiopia. They represent people with slender body types, high foreheads, and reduced brow ridges compared to Neanderthals or earlier human ancestors” (npr.org “For How Long Have We Been Human?” by Barbara J. King).
Nearly every culture has mythology surrounding the sacredness of trees, and many worship trees (dendrolatry). Trees are said to evoke mindfulness; a state in which we are more alert and aware, thoughtful, conscious of and compassionate towards our surroundings. The tree is often a symbol of life and regeneration (the Tree of Life) because of its own life cycle through the seasons. Trees are often used as a symbol in biology to represent the many branched pathways of evolution.
Writer and biologist Mike Shanahan writes about “the tree that shaped human history”: the fig tree, notably F. religiosa, played a major role in the evolution and survival of human beings, animals, and insects, alike. There are 750 fig tree species, including F. religiosa, that “feature in every major religion and have influenced kings and queens, scientists and soldiers. They played roles in human evolution and the dawn of civilization. These trees have not only witnessed history; they have shaped it” (Mike Shanahan). Fig trees produce fruits that have sustained more species of wildlife than any other kind of fruit, including fruit bats and primates, and our early human ancestors. There is evidence that fig trees aided humans in developing larger brains because of their high-energy nutrition, and a theory that suggests our hands evolved as tools in order to select ripe figs (Shanahan).
We have instinctively known throughout our history that trees communicate with one another and with us as living beings in an interconnected web. Recent developments in scientific research have shown the process in which trees communicate utilizing their root systems and mycorrhizal networks underground, explaining what we have instinctively understood with scientific data. Mycorrhiza refers to a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a plant, referring specifically to the role of fungus in the plant’s root system. Mycorrhizae impact the plant’s nutrition, soil biology, and soil chemistry. One notable pioneer in this field of study is Suzanne Simard, a biologist and professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, who has conducted research on these mycorrhizal networks and has published her findings in numerous scientific journals and delivered multiple TED Talk presentations illustrating the importance of mycorrhizal networks to the survival and flourishing of trees. Suzanne Simard is the leader of The Mother Tree Project, which focuses efforts on regenerating forests and evaluating “the effects of various forest removal treatments, including differing levels of variable retention harvesting, and regeneration using various tree species mixtures, on regeneration success, carbon cycling, productivity and biodiversity.”
Recently, scientists have been asking the question, “Do plants have dignity?” In a TED Talk, scientist Florianne Koechlin describes the intricate communication networks of plants and their ability to ‘learn’ from past experiences and even develop faster reaction times to predators feasting on their leaves, releasing chemicals that warn surrounding plants. Koechlin asks us to consider an innovative and thoughtful way of conducting agricultural efforts: Let us plant a variety of species that co-exist well together, rather than perpetuating the unnatural monoculture of singular species of plants all in rows. The request is not that we stop using plants for nourishment, but that the way they are grown is with dignity: allowing them to thrive and reach their full potential in a more natural and familiar environment, encouraging rich biodiversity.
As we reflect on the dignity of trees in their own right, we may also consider gratitude for the many gifts that they provide us, notably as luthiers. What is our personal responsibility toward the trees and ensuring that their diverse multitude of species not only survives for future generations but thrives, with each tree reaching their fullest potential? Different species of trees reach different heights and have varying lifespans, and different types of wood (called tonewoods in the world of lutherie) are utilized to craft an instrument. Bob Taylor, co-founder of Taylor Guitars, has begun leading by example with a specific wood in mind through the Ebony Project; a project in which guitar makers give back to the forests from which they gather resources, and gives back to the local people harvesting the wood by providing them with on-the-job safety and efficiency training, higher pay, and safer, improved working conditions. Ebony is commonly used for beautifully dark fretboards, and Bob Taylor has been encouraging luthiers and guitar manufacturers alike to begin using marbled Ebony as well as the traditionally preferred dark shade of ebony. The tonal quality and quality of the wood is no different; but the aesthetics of pure black have been traditionally preferred. This preference for darker ebony has become an environmental issue because loggers routinely discard large amounts of cut down ebony trees of the marbled brown variety, leaving them to rot in the forest, though the wood is perfectly good. Taylor Guitars, by becoming co-owners of the ebony sawmill in Cameroon, have taken control of managing sustainability efforts while educating and helping local workers to make a difference for the environment and the trees, for luthiers, and for the people. As well as utilizing more sustainable logging techniques, Taylor Guitars have also commissioned research through Dr. Thomas Smith of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Congo Basin Institute, who has been studying the growth of ebony trees and how to properly replant them and sustain their population. By replanting the forests, we create a future for guitar makers and for the planet.
Taylor Guitars are not the only ones making a positive impact in the world of sustainable lutherie. Some guitar makers are utilizing alternatives to tonewoods, such as flaxwood, bamboo, carbon fiber, recycled yogurt pots, Ekoa®, and Richlite materials. One guide to utilizing sustainable tonewoods can be found in looking for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) signature, which appears on wood that has been sustainably harvested. The FSC’s forest management maintains high standards which protect the environment, prohibit the use of hazardous chemicals, and respect workers’ rights. The FSC was co-founded by the Rainforest Alliance, whose mission is to conserve forests worldwide. By utilizing sustainable tonewoods that have been harvested from forests whose logging has been managed responsibly by the FSC, or utilizing alternatives to tonewoods, luthiers can help protect our forests and be part of the sustainable lutherie movement – making a conscious choice to conserve forests while still crafting and enjoying beautiful instruments.
Manufacturers like Taylor Guitars, alongside re-forestry initiatives such as WeForest, Tree Nation, and Eden Reforestation Projects, are contributing to the replanting and regeneration of our valuable and precious forests. The Reforestation World website includes a list of several reforestation projects and serves as an educational resource that helps people get involved in the re-planting of trees. As well as getting involved on a global scale, luthiers and non-luthiers alike can support local tree planting efforts with projects such as the Phoenix Urban Forest Program. The City of Phoenix adopted the Tree and Shade Master Plan in 2010, which describes the beneficial impacts of an urban forest, including cooling shade (lowering the city’s temperature and combating the Urban Heat Island effect), reduced global warming, and providing cleaner soil and storm water run-off protection.
As luthiers and citizens of this beautiful planet, we must consider our impact on the environment around us and the trees that provide us life and music. Even though instrument makers make up only a very small portion of wood users (i.e., compared to furniture manufacturers and the housing/building industry), it is still important to do our part to ensure the survival of forests and trees. Each of us has the power to make a positive impact through our choices, and the power to lead by example. At Wisdom Tree Institute, we hope to provide you with helpful and inspiring resources that may encourage you to pursue and/or continue making sustainable efforts in your personal and professional daily life.
You may be wondering, why the need for sustainability? Many prized tonewoods used to build guitars, such as rosewood, ebony, and mahogany, have traditionally come from areas that are clear-cut by loggers, which destroys the rich biodiversity in the search for old growth timber (much of which is becoming extinct). While trees are considered a renewable resource because of their ability to grow back and replenish themselves, the over-logging of certain species of trees and the process of clear-cutting forests limits our resources and requires our conscious attention if we want to prevent their extinction (and our own). Trees themselves may be considered renewable, but forests are not. Because of the complex diversity and web of many interdependent organisms in the surrounding ecosystem, replenishing forests is not as simple as re-planting just any type of tree (such as planting only one species, depriving the area of biodiversity). Multiple variables must be taken into consideration when actively reforesting a depleted area, which may include but is not limited to considering the soil nutrition, climate, sunlight exposure, etc. In order to continue the practice of making instruments, we need to preserve and replant our forests for future generations to enjoy. The need for sustainability starts with us, now, so that others in the future can benefit from trees. There are numerous reasons to preserve and re-plant our forests aside from ensuring the survival of musical instruments, including trees’ ability to combat effects of global warming, trees’ benefits to the wildlife in their surrounding ecosystem, and their aid in preventing water, soil, and air pollution.
Human beings have a rich history with trees and have had a symbiotic relationship, sharing a deep connection with them, since our appearance on earth: we are interconnected in nature. Trees provide resources like oxygen, food, and medicine. The presence of trees reminds us of our interconnectedness with nature and “gives us a sense of place” (Ruth Wilson). The first plants to move from the sea onto land did so around 430 million years ago. The first trees (big plants 30 meters high with woody stems, roots, and leaves) evolved around 360 million years ago (“Earth and Life Through Time”, Steven Stanley). Modern humans (Homo sapiens) appeared around 200,000 years ago. “The 200,000 date refers to the earliest known anatomically modern humans, skeletons found at places like Omo and Herto in Ethiopia. They represent people with slender body types, high foreheads, and reduced brow ridges compared to Neanderthals or earlier human ancestors” (npr.org “For How Long Have We Been Human?” by Barbara J. King).
Nearly every culture has mythology surrounding the sacredness of trees, and many worship trees (dendrolatry). Trees are said to evoke mindfulness; a state in which we are more alert and aware, thoughtful, conscious of and compassionate towards our surroundings. The tree is often a symbol of life and regeneration (the Tree of Life) because of its own life cycle through the seasons. Trees are often used as a symbol in biology to represent the many branched pathways of evolution.
Writer and biologist Mike Shanahan writes about “the tree that shaped human history”: the fig tree, notably F. religiosa, played a major role in the evolution and survival of human beings, animals, and insects, alike. There are 750 fig tree species, including F. religiosa, that “feature in every major religion and have influenced kings and queens, scientists and soldiers. They played roles in human evolution and the dawn of civilization. These trees have not only witnessed history; they have shaped it” (Mike Shanahan). Fig trees produce fruits that have sustained more species of wildlife than any other kind of fruit, including fruit bats and primates, and our early human ancestors. There is evidence that fig trees aided humans in developing larger brains because of their high-energy nutrition, and a theory that suggests our hands evolved as tools in order to select ripe figs (Shanahan).
We have instinctively known throughout our history that trees communicate with one another and with us as living beings in an interconnected web. Recent developments in scientific research have shown the process in which trees communicate utilizing their root systems and mycorrhizal networks underground, explaining what we have instinctively understood with scientific data. Mycorrhiza refers to a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a plant, referring specifically to the role of fungus in the plant’s root system. Mycorrhizae impact the plant’s nutrition, soil biology, and soil chemistry. One notable pioneer in this field of study is Suzanne Simard, a biologist and professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, who has conducted research on these mycorrhizal networks and has published her findings in numerous scientific journals and delivered multiple TED Talk presentations illustrating the importance of mycorrhizal networks to the survival and flourishing of trees. Suzanne Simard is the leader of The Mother Tree Project, which focuses efforts on regenerating forests and evaluating “the effects of various forest removal treatments, including differing levels of variable retention harvesting, and regeneration using various tree species mixtures, on regeneration success, carbon cycling, productivity and biodiversity.”
Recently, scientists have been asking the question, “Do plants have dignity?” In a TED Talk, scientist Florianne Koechlin describes the intricate communication networks of plants and their ability to ‘learn’ from past experiences and even develop faster reaction times to predators feasting on their leaves, releasing chemicals that warn surrounding plants. Koechlin asks us to consider an innovative and thoughtful way of conducting agricultural efforts: Let us plant a variety of species that co-exist well together, rather than perpetuating the unnatural monoculture of singular species of plants all in rows. The request is not that we stop using plants for nourishment, but that the way they are grown is with dignity: allowing them to thrive and reach their full potential in a more natural and familiar environment, encouraging rich biodiversity.
As we reflect on the dignity of trees in their own right, we may also consider gratitude for the many gifts that they provide us, notably as luthiers. What is our personal responsibility toward the trees and ensuring that their diverse multitude of species not only survives for future generations but thrives, with each tree reaching their fullest potential? Different species of trees reach different heights and have varying lifespans, and different types of wood (called tonewoods in the world of lutherie) are utilized to craft an instrument. Bob Taylor, co-founder of Taylor Guitars, has begun leading by example with a specific wood in mind through the Ebony Project; a project in which guitar makers give back to the forests from which they gather resources, and gives back to the local people harvesting the wood by providing them with on-the-job safety and efficiency training, higher pay, and safer, improved working conditions. Ebony is commonly used for beautifully dark fretboards, and Bob Taylor has been encouraging luthiers and guitar manufacturers alike to begin using marbled Ebony as well as the traditionally preferred dark shade of ebony. The tonal quality and quality of the wood is no different; but the aesthetics of pure black have been traditionally preferred. This preference for darker ebony has become an environmental issue because loggers routinely discard large amounts of cut down ebony trees of the marbled brown variety, leaving them to rot in the forest, though the wood is perfectly good. Taylor Guitars, by becoming co-owners of the ebony sawmill in Cameroon, have taken control of managing sustainability efforts while educating and helping local workers to make a difference for the environment and the trees, for luthiers, and for the people. As well as utilizing more sustainable logging techniques, Taylor Guitars have also commissioned research through Dr. Thomas Smith of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Congo Basin Institute, who has been studying the growth of ebony trees and how to properly replant them and sustain their population. By replanting the forests, we create a future for guitar makers and for the planet.
Taylor Guitars are not the only ones making a positive impact in the world of sustainable lutherie. Some guitar makers are utilizing alternatives to tonewoods, such as flaxwood, bamboo, carbon fiber, recycled yogurt pots, Ekoa®, and Richlite materials. One guide to utilizing sustainable tonewoods can be found in looking for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) signature, which appears on wood that has been sustainably harvested. The FSC’s forest management maintains high standards which protect the environment, prohibit the use of hazardous chemicals, and respect workers’ rights. The FSC was co-founded by the Rainforest Alliance, whose mission is to conserve forests worldwide. By utilizing sustainable tonewoods that have been harvested from forests whose logging has been managed responsibly by the FSC, or utilizing alternatives to tonewoods, luthiers can help protect our forests and be part of the sustainable lutherie movement – making a conscious choice to conserve forests while still crafting and enjoying beautiful instruments.
Manufacturers like Taylor Guitars, alongside re-forestry initiatives such as WeForest, Tree Nation, and Eden Reforestation Projects, are contributing to the replanting and regeneration of our valuable and precious forests. The Reforestation World website includes a list of several reforestation projects and serves as an educational resource that helps people get involved in the re-planting of trees. As well as getting involved on a global scale, luthiers and non-luthiers alike can support local tree planting efforts with projects such as the Phoenix Urban Forest Program. The City of Phoenix adopted the Tree and Shade Master Plan in 2010, which describes the beneficial impacts of an urban forest, including cooling shade (lowering the city’s temperature and combating the Urban Heat Island effect), reduced global warming, and providing cleaner soil and storm water run-off protection.
As luthiers and citizens of this beautiful planet, we must consider our impact on the environment around us and the trees that provide us life and music. Even though instrument makers make up only a very small portion of wood users (i.e., compared to furniture manufacturers and the housing/building industry), it is still important to do our part to ensure the survival of forests and trees. Each of us has the power to make a positive impact through our choices, and the power to lead by example. At Wisdom Tree Institute, we hope to provide you with helpful and inspiring resources that may encourage you to pursue and/or continue making sustainable efforts in your personal and professional daily life.
To read more about Wisdom Tree Institute and the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, click here.
To read more about the members of the Wisdom Tree Institute team, click here.
To read more about the members of the Wisdom Tree Institute team, click here.
