Shopping for Furniture or Cabinets? Buy Only Items Made of Renewable Woods.

[MineralMan]

5. Yes. I added a note to that effect just above your post.

Personally, I own a few antiques that are made of woods I would not use or choose if I were buying something new. One is a church bench from the 1870s that is made of solid African Mahogany. It is a beautiful piece, and made of a wood that is no longer available. I found it at a church rummage sale, where the church was selling it because it was old and somewhat worn. The price was too low to even think about skipping.

You're right about plantation growing of some exotics. The problem for consumers is that it's very difficult to know whether the piece you are buying is made of such wood. If it is advertised as being from a sustainable, managed source, then that would be OK. But, you're not going to find that at the average furniture store, sadly.

The Gibson Guitar company found itself in hot water for using ebony and other exotic woods that were not produced in accordance with laws prohibiting the import of those woods. In fact, it hid the fact that they were illegal. Bad business.