The supply of the world’s most iconic pianos may be in jeopardy after a decision by the U.S. Forest Service to curtail old-growth logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Wood Central understands the move could have major consequences for Sitka spruce—a timber prized not just for soundboards on Steinway & Sons baby and grand pianos but for guitars and violins the world over.
Speaking to Fox Business today, Kirk Dahlstrom, owner of Viking Lumber Company in Klawock, Alaska, said the decision to lock up the forests has left mills scrambling for resources. Viking is now the last U.S. sawmill capable of supplying the high-grade Sitka spruce Steinway requires for its baby and grand pianos. “We’re not asking for anything new. We’re asking for what was promised,” Dahlstrom said. “This isn’t just about pianos. It’s about guitars, violins, and the entire music industry that depends on Sitka spruce. Our company may soon be out of business, as the feds renege on their agreement with the timber industry.”
Dahlstrom’s concerns are echoed by Sarah Dahlstrom-Lehnert, spokesperson for Viking Lumber, who revealed in March that the company received just 10–22% of its promised timber supply over the past four years. Viking, the Alasa Forest Association and Alcan Timber Incorporated have since filed a lawsuit against the Forest Service, alleging violations of both the 2016 Tongass Management Plan and the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990. “Steinway is very concerned that without this supply, their factory in Queens, New York would be in jeopardy,” Dahlstrom-Lehnert said. “We are the sole supplier to Steinway.”
Vikings’ concerns are also backed by Ben Steiner, CEO of Steinway & Sons, who said the move to block supply would be disastrous for the 172-year-old company: “Steinway is a proud partner of Viking Lumber,” Steiner said. “Viking is helping to support Steinway’s workforce of more than 200 union workers in its Astoria, New York factory, as well as nineteen Steinway & Sons stores and a network of over 60 dealer storefront locations with hundreds of employees across the United States.”
Losses mount as China’s log ban cripples Alaska’s timber industry
Wood Central understands that the decision to close timber concessions comes at a time when Alaska’s forest industry is already reeling from fallout related to the U.S.–China trade war. Once worth US$115 million annually, the industry has been hit hard by China’s ban on U.S. log imports, announced in March this year. The ban has disrupted operations statewide, forcing companies to scramble for alternative markets.
Among the hardest hit is Alcan Timber, a Ketchikan-based company that typically exports half its volume to China. Vice President Eric Nichols, who also serves with the Alaska Forest Association, told Alaskan public media that the company has already shut down one operation and is rerouting shipments to Washington, South Korea, and Vancouver, British Columbia. “We’re severely impacted by it. There’s no doubt about that,” Nichols said. “We’re at pretty big losses on going to other markets, just because of the transportation differential from what we’re used to.”
Alcan has also shifted its harvesting strategy away from Chinese buyers. But Nichols warned that the company may soon face difficult decisions. “We have to make decisions, you know, a little bit like Afognak—whether we’re going to stay in business or not. The question is how long we can hold these logs before we have to sell them and generate the losses they’re going to generate here.”
