Ban of Rosewood, Cocobolo, et al---Effect on Traditionals?

AFAustin

AFAustin

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In looking at a knife on A.G. Russell's website just now (the 3" Bolstered Lockback, which looks very nice BTW, if a bit pricey), A.G. referred to the "the now outlawed Cocobolo". This was news to me but I found plenty of info. on the web, e.g.: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/rosewoods-bubinga-really-banned-cites/ It seems that many of our favorite woods may be affected, at least to the extent that they are crossing international borders: various rosewoods, Cocobolo, Tulipwood, Kingwood, African Blackwood, and others.

Could folks in the know explain the practical effect of this on traditional knife manufacture? I guess I have some idea in that A.G. mentions that he is already using a "substitute" wood for Cocobolo.

Thanks for any insight.

Andrew
 
I have heard that before but have no knowledge of its accuracy. I like Cocobolo handles and have a number of knives with this material.
 
Simply look at LionSteel....soon as the restrictions went into effect the Cocobolo stopped and Santos wood became the go to...
 
Between existing supply, using alternative names and different varieties of similar wood, I doubt it should have a large effect right away. I would hope manufacturers would respect the need to protect the trees and use alternatives. Perhaps this will be a good thing as they can move into other woods, and or materials giving us more choices. Also the manufacturers of synthetics and composites might get more creative..?
 
Interesting. This explains why antique Chinese furniture has been climbing in price. Of course, in the areas where this is harvested it will now be used for cooking and heating, but we're saving the world from beautiful grain structure one tree at a time.
 
.....it is unfortunate for us for obvious reasons - but it is not crazy.

The merciless and commercial rape of hardwoods of all sorts, especially the more beautiful like these, is utterly rampant across the world.

Added to all that is the collateral damage to many, many other species.

Would that mankind could have foreseen this years ago and put measures in to practice - some woods will become the modern day Rhino

And, sadly, how can one prove - if there was a way - that you're using a wood from a 'sustainable source'. Tricky.

I hope there's a way...
 
This has been in effect for some time. I would say it will only affect the folks interested in being "legal". Knife buyers and dealers, albeit great folks, have been skirting CITES and FWS regulations for years...
 
Thanks for linking the article, AFAustin. Made for some interesting reading.
 
This is news to me! I like cocobolo and have several knives covered in the wood.
 
I guess I have to ask what "illegal" means in the case of Cocobolo woods and the hardwoods it is sourced from? I know it grows in the tropics. Many things are being raped in the tropics that have worldwide value. I would think the trees could be farmed if desired.

Added: Just read the article that is linked by the OP. Very interesting stuff and like Elephant Ivory, it is mostly about China and their cultural affinity for the rosewoods.

I am comfortable not using Cocobolo at all for knife handles and so forth.
 
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When in doubt, go to the source:

https://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.php

It clearly says that listing in appendix II does not ban international trade. It only means that permits are required to legally export the wood. As the article points out, the illegal trade is a big problem.

I have already made a change in my buying habits. One of my favorite woods for traditional knives is ebony. Gabon ebony is now in serious trouble in its native habitat, and I will no longer buy newly produced knives with gabon ebony scales (my ebony churchill is the last gabon ebony knife that I will ever buy). That hurts because I love the wood, but I do not want to have a hand in wiping out the species.
 
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I must admit I don't know the size of these trees. With that being said I would venture to guess that thousands of knife scales can be made from a single tree. I doubt the knife industry is the problem.
 
lambertiana said:
It clearly says that listing in appendix II does not ban international trade. It only means that permits are required to legally export the wood. As the article points out, the illegal trade is a big problem.
Click to expand...

The problem is not that it is "illegal" to import / export CITES or FWS regulation resources. The problem is that nobody declares, thus ignores regulations, on international shipments.

How many buyers do you think there would be if dealers that sold a cocobolo GEC across the border charged $130 shipping to cover the $100 FWS declaration / inspection?
 
knifeswapper said:
The problem is not that it is "illegal" to import / export CITES or FWS regulation resources. The problem is that nobody declares, thus ignores regulations, on international shipments.

How many buyers do you think there would be if dealers that sold a cocobolo GEC across the border charged $130 shipping to cover the $100 FWS declaration / inspection?
Click to expand...

You are correct, the problem is that a lot of people are ignoring the regulations. I guess it's one thing for a lumber importer to pay for the proper paperwork for a large shipment, but for individual knives the cost of the paperwork makes compliance too costly for most consumers.
 
My understanding is that you can still buy, sell, and use Rosewoods as long as they are not transported across international borders.

Thus, A.G. cannot sell his knives in Cocobolo since they are imported from China.

A seller that I have used in the past, Diamond Tropical Hardwoods of Sellersville, PA has a large stock of Cocobolo and continues to sell legal product. Perhaps they are the source of the handles for GEC's Cocobolo knives. These knives should continue to be available to buyers within the U.S..
 
lambertiana said:
You are correct, the problem is that a lot of people are ignoring the regulations. I guess it's one thing for a lumber importer to pay for the proper paperwork for a large shipment, but for individual knives the cost of the paperwork makes compliance too costly for most consumers.
Click to expand...

Even more simplistic - It costs me @$100 for FWS clearance to bring in a package with 50 Stag LionSteel Roundhead models. Then it would cost $100/package to legally send them back outside the U.S. one at a time.

Most dealers simply don't declare these components and hope they never get picked for random search. But customs is starting to work more closely with FWS - and when they do catch them, it is going to be very expensive. As much as customers love to post their "mail call" these days - it is just a matter of time. Not to mention simple sting operations wherein a Canadian customer orders a stag knife from every dealer and then hands the tracking number to FWS to collect a reward. FWS may even wait months to file the charges in order to get as many as possible before word of mouth gets out. Or if a dealer wants less competition - just place some orders and have knives sent to bogus European addresses just to turn the tracking over to FWS themselves...
 
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