Permanent Pernambuco

The art of making wooden bows for stringed instruments has changed little since the 18th century, when French bow-maker François-Xavier Tourte discovered that a special Brazilian tree produced the finest quality wood for the task. Pernambuco wood grows only in the Atlantic rainforest region of Brazil; its unique combination of density and flexibility makes it ideal for coaxing out a violin or cello’s richest sounds. Even now, when carbon fiber bows are in wide production, top musicians still attest to the Pernambuco bow’s superior quality.

But for the past several decades, the rainforest in which the wood grows has been endangered. Vast areas of its native habitat have been cleared for the cultivation of lucrative crops like eucalyptus for paper pulp and sugar cane for ethanol. And the wood is not only valuable as a means to hear Mozart — it also makes great fencing and railroad ties.

Even though Brazil listed pernambuco on its national endangered species list in 1992, an illicit trade and less than adequate monitoring of the forests has kept the tree from bouncing back. So musicians and bow-makers have banded together to form the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative, which works with Brazilian organizations to carry out inventories, conduct research and implement replanting and educational programs in the rainforest.

Results won’t come quickly — the wood takes decades to grow to maturity and requires significant aging before a bow can be carved from its heartwood. But the IPCI is confident their efforts will help to bring about sustainable symphonies in the future.

http://commongroundmag.com/2008/05/oor_bamboo0805.html