Vermont Woods Studios

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Local Furniture Makers Visit Panama in Search of Sustainably-Harvested Exotic Woods

[Vernon, VT] - Why on earth would a Vermont furniture maker need to travel to Panama in search of sustainably-harvested wood? “We’ve gained an appreciation for the rainforest through our passion for our own Green Mountain Forest and the conservation efforts we’ve learned about and participated in up here”, said co-owner, Peggy Farabaugh. Despite the obvious differences between the two types of forests, Farabaugh says they share common issues such as balancing the competing needs of humans versus wildlife, and preserving the natural characteristics of the forest to encourage future health and availability of sustainably-harvested products.

The Farabaughs visit Barro Colorado Island in Lake Gatun, Panama, one of the oldest tropical research stations in the world, where scientists have been studying the forest for more than 80 years.

“In furniture-making, we love to accent our Vermont maple with richly colored exotics, like mahogany and purpleheart. We must be careful, however to vet our suppliers and ensure their wood is sustainably harvested”. Vermont Woods Studios does this through their certification with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to good forest management world-wide. “We wanted to see for ourselves the difference the FSC is making in the rainforest and try to establish some linkages between our company and forest products companies in Central America that share our values and concerns for the future of the rainforest”.

New friends from the island of Achutupu in the Kuna Yala Comarca of Panama

This Kapok tree on Barro Colorado was too big to fit in the photo!

FINE FURNITURE FROM SUSTAINABLE SOURCES

Vermont Woods Studios llc, Vernon, Vermont (888) 390-5571