Sitka spruce (Picea Sitchenesis)

With the large-scale commercial demise of Adirondack spruce in North America in the 1940s and limited spruce from Europe, Sitka spruce has become the predominant species used as soundboards for guitars and pianos. The old-growth Sitka spruce needed for musical instruments only exists in the North American coastal temperate rainforest. This magnificent forest, considered the rarest forest type of Earth, once stretched unbroken from California to Alaska. A globally unique, rain-swept area of snow-capped mountains and deep fjords is home to an abundance of wildlife, including grizzly bears, black bears, deer, wolves, and bald eagles.

Unfortunately, on both public and private lands much of the coastal temperate rainforest has been clearcut for construction or disposable pulp and paper products, severely fragmenting the forest and the wildlife habitat it provides. In contrast to large-scale logging — for which there are alternatives — there are no satisfactory alternatives to Sitka spruce for piano and guitar soundboards. For acoustic musical instruments, Sitka spruce is virtually irreplaceable.

If we don't begin changing the way the logging industry is treating the coastal temperate rainforest, the ancient Sitka spruce trees may not be around to supply the world with the quality musical instruments we enjoy today. The choice is simple: demanding good wood now will help us protect this forest for the future and keep the good music coming.

Take a tour of the Alaskan Rainforest in our photo gallery and see for yourself why this area must be protected.