Mahogany

One concern in the ongoing debate over the conservation status of mahogany has been the possibility that selective logging, as a form of negative phenotypic selection, might have led to deterioration in the genetic quality of populations. The incidence and degree of such ‘dysgenic’ effects is discussed, based on a consideration of mahogany logging practices, their expected genetic effects and empirical data on phenotypic selection in forest trees. Loggers have tended to avoid diseased, small, very large and poorly-formed individuals, and consequently logging has tended to increase the proportion of poor quality phenotypes relative to that before logging; in at least some conditions, selection differentials have been strongly negative. However, the upper limit for heritability of logger-selected traits in naturally-regenerated mahogany is probably no more than c. 0.1. Consequently, and assuming relatively extreme but realistic negative selection differentials of 50%, the maximum nega...

Intensive exploitation of mahogany wood (Swietenia macrophylla, Meliaceae) has resulted in the loss of natural populations. Somatic embryogenesis offers an alternative to clonal propagation and conservation of mahogany. This study describes biochemical (carbohydrates, total phenols, total flavonoids, protein, and plant growth regulators content) and histological characteristics of the somatic embryogenesis process in mahogany. Calli were obtained by culturing cotyledons of seeds from immature fruits for six weeks on semi-solid MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mgL-1 of kinetin and 4.0 mgL-1 of 2, 4-D. Primary callus was cultured on half strength semi-solid MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mgl-1 6-BA (6-benzylaminopurine) and embryogenic structures were obtained. Embryo development from globular-shaped somatic embryos to the cotyledonary stage was confirmed by histology and scanning electron microscopy. Shoot initiation was observed after somatic embryos were transferred to germination and maturation medium. Endogenous concentrations of carbohydrates, total phenols, total flavonoids, protein, and plant growth regulators were determined in embryogenic (EC) and non-embryogenic (NEC) calli of mahogany. Embryogenic cultures contained significantly higher concentrations of IAA (indoleacetic acid), ABA (abscisic acid), and GAs (Gibberellins 1+3+20), whereas non-embryogenic calli contained more total phenols, flavonoids and resistant starch. Fructose and glucose were not present at detectable levels in EC or NEC, whereas soluble starch and sucrose were only detectable in EC. Concentrations of total proteins, Z/ZR (Zeatin/zeatin riboside) and iP/iPA (N6-(Δ2-isopentenyl) adenine and N6-(Δ2-isopentenyl) adenosine) were similar in EC and NEC.

Britain and the Mahogany Trade of the Americas in the 18th and 19th Centuries I have often wondered many things about wood. I have looked at pieces of furniture and wondered how tall the tree was that it came from. I have wondered where it was from or if birds or other animals lived among its branches. I have wondered who cut it down, who milled it, who carved it, who owned it, and who used it. Of all the wood I have wondered about, my favorite one to wonder about was mahogany. I have for all of my life been surrounded by antique British furniture. My father began importing English furniture from Liverpool at almost the exact same time I was born nearly thirty years ago, and I have played around, worked and lived with it nearly everyday since. In recent years, I decided that mahogany was my favorite, and I wanted to know more about it. I wanted to know where it grew, why the British loved it so, and why they chose it so often to make their cabinetry and furniture. I have come to learn that Great Britain's dealings in Mahogany are far more interesting and complex than I had previously imagined. Mahogany and Britain is indeed a strange and interesting affair. ​ The topic of Britain and mahogany offers insights into global trade, imperialism, race relations, and the environmental impact we as humans have on the world.

Barriers to successful adoption of novel silvicultural practices are rarely just technical in nature. Simply put, why do some forest users practice better silviculture than others? Diverse perspectives in the social sciences have been brought to bear on this question, but most efforts suffer from theoretical or methodological biases which undermine their utility for answering questions of interest to forest managers and policy-makers. We argue that research on silviculture practice can better serve the needs of policy-makers if it is approached more holistically and with the intention of answering clear questions about why particular users have, or have not adopted desired practices in particular situations. To illustrate this approach, we present three case studies of research on tropical silviculture practice from each of Philippines, Brazilian Amazon and Mexico. Findings from these studies indicate that a variety of factors may influence whether or not silvicultural practices are adopted. These range from characteristics of the local environment and individual users (knowledge, motivation, etc.) to wider geographical, economic and political influences. Forest researchers and policy-makers will better identify key constraints and opportunities for the adoption of silvicultural practices in particular contexts if they approach research with clear questions and an interdisciplinary approach. #

Guitars are amalgamations of different materials, from bones and guts to metals and plastics. Wood, though, has always been the guitar's primary building block. And for many guitar makers and players it is mahogany, in particular, that constitutes one of the most prized elements in a complicated mesh of sounds and meanings. Yet in thinking about guitar culture beyond the musician-instrument encounter, down to the historical and geographical layers that make it possible to produce sounds and meanings in the first place, other stories emerge. Understanding the infrastructural dimensions that define the production, circulation, and consumption of mahogany becomes an urgent area of inquiry in contexts where many inequalities are masked by the fetishisms of musical culture, where the regions in which this wood is cultivated are marked by colonial and neocolonial encounters, and where the trees themselves are threatened by overexploitation and extinction. Swietenia macrophylla is a species of tree that is indigenous to the Americas and conventionally known as Honduran mahogany. It became a desired tropical wood in colonial North America and Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, favored as it was by shipbuilders, cabinetmakers, and furniture workers. 1 Such high demand led to the rapid demise of one of the main species of mahogany used for these purposes (Caribbean Swietenia mahagoni), and so the supply chain shifted to a type of Honduran mahogany that grows in a region stretching from southern Mexico to lowland South America. By the late twentieth century, this native mahogany was also in decline as a result of deforestation and illegal harvesting, which landed the tree on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) list. Thus, at the dawn of the twenty-first century there emerged a new player in the timber market: mahogany grown on plantations in Fiji. This mahogany eventually became known as a particular global brand of wood: Fiji Pure Mahogany. Fiji Pure Mahogany thus arose not only as a supply chain substitute but as a deliberate marketing tool and a means of bypassing certain difficulties surrounding the exportation and international trade of endangered species.

When Europeans first reached Jamaica in 1494, they thought that they had arrived in paradise: a sun-kissed tropical island covered with rainforests, dramatic mountains, and exotic flora and fauna. By the early nineteenth century, colonization had fundamentally transformed this supposedly pristine island. Over the academic year, you will explore this process of environmental change. You will study the numerous ways that colonists exploited the Jamaican environment: the clear-cutting of forests to make way for monoculture plantations; the importation of plants and animals to replace decimated native species; and the extraction and exhaustion of natural resources. You will simultaneously examine enslaved Africans' and Native Americans' environmental perspectives and see how both groups used Jamaica’s mountains and surviving forests to resist the violent process of colonization. We will conclude by examining the colonists’ growing awareness that they had transformed Jamaica’s climate and environment, just as the island was fundamentally changed through abolition and emancipation. You will thus emerge from this module with a detailed understanding of the natural history of Jamaica—one of the most fascinating places in the Early Modern Atlantic World—and the vibrant field of environmental history.

Barriers to successful adoption of novel silvicultural practices are rarely just technical in nature. Simply put, why do some forest users practice better silviculture than others? Diverse perspectives in the social sciences have been brought to bear on this question, but most efforts suffer from theoretical or methodological biases which undermine their utility for answering questions of interest to forest managers and policy-makers. We argue that research on silviculture practice can better serve the needs of policy-makers if it is approached more holistically and with the intention of answering clear questions about why particular users have, or have not adopted desired practices in particular situations. To illustrate this approach, we present three case studies of research on tropical silviculture practice from each of Philippines, Brazilian Amazon and Mexico. Findings from these studies indicate that a variety of factors may influence whether or not silvicultural practices are adopted. These range from characteristics of the local environment and individual users (knowledge, motivation, etc.) to wider geographical, economic and political influences. Forest researchers and policy-makers will better identify key constraints and opportunities for the adoption of silvicultural practices in particular contexts if they approach research with clear questions and an interdisciplinary approach.

Swietenia macrophylla is a well aware timber species in the local market; conversely, knowledge of locally grown K. senegalensis is limited.
This study compared mechanical and physical characteristics of 25-30 years aged wood of both species to assist in future applications.
K. senegalensis recorded higher mean values for all tested physical properties (wood density) and mechanical properties (Module of Rupture, Module of Elasticity, compression parallel to grain and compression perpendicular to the grain).
However, the wood of more matured trees of both species should be tested and working property comparison of both species is also required in future studies.

Indonesian active charcoal demands are relatively high, due to the increase of active charcoal usage in industrial sector. To supply active charcoal demand in industrial sector, sufficient amount of basic materials are needed. One of the alternatives is Mahogany wood waste. The aims of this research are (1) to use wood waste of Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King.) as a raw material for active charcoal, (2) to identify active charcoal characteristics that are formed, (3) to obtain type and concentration of chemical substance that is suitable for active charcoal forming process, (4) to provide better characteristics, and (5) to apply in the best active charcoal on well-water purification to bind kation in order to increase water quality. Activation was conducted chemically and the types of chemical substance for activation were Na2CO3 and NaOH with concentration of 1%; 1.5%; 2%; 2.5% and 3%. The observed parameters were sucrose contents, moisture contents, volatile matter contents, ash contents, carbon contents, adsorptive capacity of benzene, and adsorptive capacity of iodium and adsorptive capacity of methyline blue. The result and analysis showed that wood waste of Mahogany can be used as a raw material of active charcoal forming process; and Na2CO3 and NaOH can be used as activators. The best active charcoal (with activator Na2CO3 1.5 %) quality was having 64.41% sucrose content, 8.24% moisture content, 3.2% ash content, 19.4% volatile matter content, 77.4% carbon content, 14.48% adsorptive capacity of benzene, 1230.93 mg/g adsorptive capacity of iodium and 130.93 mg/g adsorptive capacity of methyline blue. Well-water quality after the best active charcoal had been added showed decreasing of cation element such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and mangan (Mn).

Forest certification provides an incentive for responsible forest management and has the potential to conserve biodiversity while increasing the livelihoods of the rural poor.  The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a leader in forest certification, has created 10 Principles to evaluate environmental, social, and economic aspects of forest operations worldwide.  Mexico was one of the first testing grounds for forest certification and has a history of national and international support for community forestry.  However, few community forest enterprises (CFEs) in Mexico have achieved forest certification.  To understand forest certification on-the-ground, this report presents case studies of two ejidos with CFEs in southeastern Mexico, with different histories of certification:  Tres Garantías, whose certification has recently been suspended, and Veinte de Noviembre, which applied for certification but was denied.  This investigation focuses on answering three main questions: 1) What are the challenges for forest certification for communities? 2) What are the perceived benefits of certification? and 3) How do community members rate 20 Key FSC criteria?  I collected data from public documents and interviews with over sixty forestry experts and community members at each ejido.  The main factors found to be limiting certification for these CFEs were the lack of basic environmental monitoring, the need for improved forest management plans, and the need for training to improve workers safety.  The annual costs of environmental monitoring, estimated to be approximately $30,000 pesos, was found to be a high expense for CFEs.  This expense impacts Veinte de Noviembre more than Tres Garantías because of their differing levels of valuable timber species.  Interviews with community members found a lack of knowledge and many misconceptions about what FSC certification entails.  This is most likely due to the fact that the ejidatarios are not part of forest monitoring or the technical aspects of forest management, but more involved in the harvesting, processing, and sale of timber.  Interviews with community members about the benefits of forest certification also found a lack of knowledge and misinformation.  The main perceived benefits of forest certification by community members were higher prices for certified wood and access to international markets, however interviews with forestry experts and community leaders found that these benefits are not actually being received by Tres Garantías as they are not able to export their wood as certified without the additional Chain of Custody certification.  Interviews with community members at Veinte de Noviembre found few ejidatarios knew about FSC certification.  Despite the lack of knowledge, ejidatarios voiced strong opinions about the value of 20 key FSC criteria, rating the majority as “very important”.  An evaluation of reforestation, the conservation of primary forests, and the distribution of protected areas were three criteria rated the highest in relative importance by community members, suggesting ejidatarios strongly agree with the environmental values imbedded in FSC’s standards.  Demand for certified forest products and funding for certification schemes continues to be supported by national and international NGOs, development agencies, and forestry programs.  Suggestions on how FSC can adapt its standards to be more inclusive of these CFEs without lowering standards are given, as well as suggestions to communities and forestry experts to further develop sustainable community forest operations.

This article builds a theory of enviromateriality through a global ethnography that engages both the material culture and materiality of a tree species, Honduran mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), and the global political ecology of forest conservation. The author seeks to understand what Adorno calls the ‘constellation’ between people and mahogany by tracing human–nature relations through the global commodity chain focusing on one particular artefact, the Gibson Les Paul, an iconic solid wood electric guitar made primarily of mahogany grown in Mexico and Fiji. Enviromateriality considers three phases in which to examine the material and materiality in a variety of processes that are interconnected. These phases allow for an examination of local community relations with mahogany as trees and products, and whether certified mahogany helps create sustainability and social justice. The author also examines guitar players’ relations with their mahogany guitars, particularly focusing on the aesthetics that make the Les Paul desired, as well as the sonic and tonal agentic force that they consider mahogany to have.

Logging of American (bigleaf ) mahogany (Swietenia spp.) initiates a series of events that leads to degradation and later destruction of tropical forests in the New World. It also is a spear-point for penetration of indigenous areas by loggers, who inflict both social and environmental impacts on the tribes. Mahogany populations are declining and are not being replenished by natural regeneration; the situation of the species continues to worsen in the field.

The demographic impacts of harvesting nontimber forest products (NTFP) have been increasingly studied because of reports of potentially unsustainable harvest. Nevertheless, our understanding of how plant demographic response to harvest is altered by variation in ecological conditions,which is critical for developing realistic sustainable-use plans, is limited. We builtmatrix populationmodels to test whether and how variation in ecological conditions affects population responses to harvest. In particular, we examined the effect of bark and foliage harvest on the demography of populations of African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) in two contrasting ecological regions of Benin, West Africa. K. senegalensis bark and foliage harvest significantly reduced its stochastic population growth rates, but ecological differences between regions had a greater effect on population growth rates than did harvest. The effect of harvest on population growth rates (λ) was slightly stronger in the moist than in the drier region. Life-table response experiments revealed that the mechanism by which harvesting reduced λ differed between ecological regions. Lowered stasis (persistence) of larger life stages lead to a reduction in λ in the drier region, whereas lowered growth of all life stages lowered λ in moist region. Potential strategies to increase population growth rates should include decreasing the proportion of individuals harvested, promoting harvester-owned plantations of African mahogany, and increasing survival and growth by promoting no-fire zones in gallery forests. Our results show how population responses to harvest of NTFP may be altered by ecological differences across sites and emphasize the importance of monitoring populations over the climatic range in which they occur to develop more realistic recommendations for conservation.

Pollination ecology of the precious timber-yielding plant, Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq. (Meliaceae) has been worked out recently. The species is a native of West Indies and Honduras and now naturalized in USA, Cuba, Africa and South-East Asia including India. Present study is based on a nearly century old stand of 109 trees of the tree species in the Golapbag Botanic Garden of the Burdwan University (acronym: BURD), in addition to a few other trees growing sporadiCally in and around Burdwan Town. Mahogany is a big tree, characterized by mass flower-ing for a few weeks only once in a year during the lliteApril" to early May. Small, creamish yellow flowers are produced in axillary and sub-terminal panicles at the end of leafy branches. Flowers belong to two distinct gender categories with apparently similar and far more staminate (± 92 %) than pistillate (± 8 %) flowers (Lee, 1967). The calyx is repre-sented by 5 relatively small, green sepals, while 5 spreading ovate, scoop-lik...

Premise of the study: A new set of 12 microsatellite markers was developed and characterized for big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King, Meliaceae) and its transferability assayed in the African mahogany, Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss. (Meliaceae), to study population and conservation genetics of these threatened tropical timber species.

Methods and Results: Using an enriched library approach twelve novel microsatellite loci were identifi ed for S. macrophylla. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 14 and mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.819 and 0.822, respectively. Twenty microsatellite loci developed for S. macrophylla (12 from this study and eight previously published) were tested for K. senegalensis and 10 polymorphic were characterized.

Conclusions: The results show the highly informative content of the new SSR loci for Swietenia macrophylla and the high effectiveness of these microsatellites for population genetics, gene flow, and mating system studies in Khaya senegalensis.

Pollination ecology of the precious timber-yielding plant, Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq. (Meliaceae) has been worked out recently. The species is a native of West Indies and Honduras and now naturalized in USA, Cuba, Africa and South-East Asia including India. Present study is based on a nearly century old stand of 109 trees of the tree species in the Golapbag Botanic Garden of the Burdwan University (acronym: BURD), in addition to a few other trees growing sporadiCally in and around Burdwan Town. Mahogany is a big tree, characterized by mass flower-ing for a few weeks only once in a year during the lliteApril" to early May. Small, creamish yellow flowers are produced in axillary and sub-terminal panicles at the end of leafy branches. Flowers belong to two distinct gender categories with apparently similar and far more staminate (± 92 %) than pistillate (± 8 %) flowers (Lee, 1967). The calyx is repre-sented by 5 relatively small, green sepals, while 5 spreading ovate, scoop-lik...