Since July 2014, buying genuine Burmese Teak has become much simpler. Industry leaders partnering with the International Wood Products Association (IWPA) have secured Teak exporting licensure allowing direct exporting from Myanmar. This allows for a far simpler buying process, … [Read more...]

The Lacey Act can cause confusion and fear, even for those attempting to do their part to secure legally harvested lumber, but that is not its purpose; its aim is to protect lumber species from illegal harvesting. While we realize that there are other suppliers who also carefully … [Read more...]

In addition to international regulation of tropical forests by international organizations such as CITES, in recent years a new form of regulation has been imposed by the U.S. The Lacey Act is unique in its expectation that anyone along the supply chain can be held accountable … [Read more...]

Sustainability is important for all of those who rely on lumber to make a living; as the optimal renewable resource, responsibly sourced lumber means that both our business and your business can have a future. If environmental concerns arise, we make it our business to look into … [Read more...]

Lumber importing, along with governmental regulations, helps keep the rainforests well-managed and thriving. While dealing with governmental regulations is chiefly an issue for importers of record, lumber customers should also be concerned about how those regulations impact … [Read more...]

Especially in an election year, it’s a bit dangerous to mention politics. Tempers are more likely to flare. But before you start citing indictments against “big government,” please notice that in a future post, we’ll take a look at how government intervention can actually hurt … [Read more...]

Amid frustrations over decreasing quality of Genuine Mahogany and problems with sourcing African Mahogany, new markets for other African species such as Utile have emerged. Here at J. Gibson McIlvain, we’re glad this species is finally getting the attention it deserves. Although … [Read more...]

In Part 1 we made a case for the practical benefits of Sapele, and we’re guessing that you’re starting to appreciate what so many others have begun to see in this premium African hardwood species. Sustainable and VerifiableMany lumber species that quickly rise in … [Read more...]

Genuine Mahogany and African Mahogany are becoming difficult to source these days — especially if you require lumber that’s high quality, reasonably priced, and delivered on time. Partly as a result of the increasingly significant market for an alternative to Mahogany, Sapele has … [Read more...]

With all the issues regarding the downgrading of Genuine Mahogany and the availability of African Mahogany, many of our customers have been asking for suggestions of alternative species. The good news is that some of these alternatives may be even better than the Mahoganies and … [Read more...]