Remember when wood prices jumped a few years ago because the military was using so much with "reconstructing" Iraq and also the Chinese were (and still are and will be in the future) using a wad of it?
Hardwood prices have skyrocketed and instrument makers throughout the world are having a real hard time. My drum sticks now cost double what they did five years ago.
Did you know that Indonesia has the world's fastest rate of deforestation?
Government officials estimate that Indonesia is losing an area of forest close to the size of Switzerland every year. Out of control logging activities - both legal and illegal – have brought the current rate of deforestation to 3.8 million hectares per year, double the rate of five years ago. This means that Indonesia loses 7.2 hectares – more than 7 football fields - every minute.
Illegal tropical timber
Indonesia sells plywood, sawn timber and paper products to over one hundred countries. Almost 90% of all Indonesian timber in the current market is produced illegally.
Continued....
http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/hutan/jeda/logging_info/More on Indonesia's timber problem here...
http://www.mtc.com.my/news/pr149.htmThanks, hatrack, for posting this!