Mahogany other than Swietenia: Cedrela

Gaskell Guitars Australia
Sep 10, 2020
5 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Natively-grown Swietenia (American mahogany) is no longer available in the world market and has been commercially banned since 2003.

Today, American mahogany is grown only in plantations, mainly in Asia and the South Pacific. Plantation mahogany accounts for 95% of world trade. It is very expensive.

See here for an explanation for why this is: What is Mahogany?

However, Swietenia is not the only genus in the Meliaceae (Mahogany) family that yields high quality timber. The Meliaceae family consists of 49 genera with approximately 550 species. Some have timber uses and some are even used as direct replacements for Swietenia. Others are merely plants and may only produce fruit, oil and seed often used for medicines or lotions. Of the ones that do yield timber, some include the word "mahogany" in their trade name and others do not. There are two terms to know:

GENUINE MAHOGANY as a term applies to mahogany of the Swietenia genus only, wherever grown.

TRUE MAHOGANY describes the timber of any Mahogany family genus other than Swietenia.

There are many species of mahogany other than Swietenia that are just as good tonewoods and quite suitable for the manufacturing of musical instruments such as electric guitars and drums.

Cedrela

Cedrela is a Mahogany family genus with 13 accepted species native to the Carribbean and the Americas. Botanically Cedrela is the equivalent of Australasian Toona except that it is native to the neo-tropics. Deforestation data across its full range indicate that the range has decreased by 28.8% in the last 100 years (approximately three generations); and it is estimated to decline by 40.4% in the next 100 years. The main threat to this species is unsustainable harvest of the timber. All species were added to CITES Appendix II as of 2022. Collectively it is usually traded as "Cedro" or "Spanish Cedar." There are four main commercial species.

SPANISH CEDAR

Cedrela odorata is native to Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. It is the most common traded Cedrela species. It is also called CEDRO, CUBAN CEDAR, CIGARBOX CEDAR, RED CEDAR, ACAJOU, or BRAZILIAN MAHOGANY. Cedrela odorata was for a long time a very important Latin American timber, second to Swietenia. It was commonly used for making cigar boxes but it was also used for light construction, joinery, mouldings, panelling, louvered doors, boat building, furniture, cabinet work, weatherboards, boxes, household implements, musical instruments, carvings, veneer, plywood, turnery and matchboxes. As a tonewood it has been used for necks, tops and sides of classical and flamenco guitars, and as a veneer, cap, or body for electric guitars. C. odorata was listed on the IUCN Red List as “vulnerable” in 1998 and remains so as of 2017. Woods from Columbia and Peru were added to CITES Appendix III in 2001. Wood from Guatemala was added to Appendix III in 2008. Bolivia requested its three species be added to Appendix III in 2010, followed by Brazil in 2011. As of October 2022, all neo-tropic species have been added to CITES Appendix II.

Figures for 2002-2011 show that Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru were the largest exporters of C. odorata for the period and the largest importers were USA, Mexico, Argentina, and Canada. For the same period Spain was the largest European importer followed by France and United Kingdom with imports from Brazil (72%) and Peru (17%.) In 2013 Guatemala was the largest local exporter of C. odorata to the United States.

Cedrela odorata has been introduced into Southeast Asia and Oceania, specifically Australia (1987), China (Guangdong province), Fiji (1960s), Hawaii (1910), Indonesia (19??), Malaysia (19??), Papua New Guinea (1959), Philippines (1915), Singapore (19??), Solomon Islands (1985), Sri Lanka (ca 1990), and Vietnam (1988.) Plantations in Southeast Asia are of small scale and most of the timber is consumed locally, however China was a major exporter of C. odorata to the United States in 2013, having re-exported it from wood obtained elsewhere.

Cedrela odorata was introduced into Africa as far back as 1898 in Ghana as an avenue tree as well as in Tanzania in 1911 and Nigeria in 1905 and 1929. Timber plantations were established in Ghana (1922), Côte d’Ivoire (1963 and 1977), Uganda (1970), Tanzania (1970), Madagascar (19??) and South Africa (19??) It became popular in West African industrial reforestation initiatives but is now considered invasive. In the period 2002-2011 exports of controlled, plantation-grown C. odorata were exported from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to the United States. In 2013, Ghana was the major African exporter of C. odorata to the United States.

As with Swietenia, all Cedrela is susceptible to Hypsipyla attack.

ARGENTINE CEDAR

Cedro fissilis is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. It is known in English as ARGENTINE CEDAR and is known by several Spanish names including CEDRO MISIONERO. Timber uses include plywood, sculptures, models, frames, doors and for turnery and construction. C. fissilis and C. odorata are not easily distinguishable but timber from C. fissilis is thought to be inferior to C. odorata. Despite this it can be sold interchangeably and is sometimes sold in batches with C. odorata. This species was reclassified from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List in 2017 despite overall decreasing populations. The Bolivian and Brazilian species were added to CITES Appendix III in 2010 and 2011 respectively. As of 2022 all species of native Cedrela have been downgraded to CITES Appendix II.

CEDRO DE TUCUMÁN

Cedrela angustifolia (formerly Cedro lilloi) is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. It is known by many Spanish names, but mostly as CEDRO DE TUCUMÁN. It is sometimes referred as HIGHLAND CEDAR. This species is nearly extinct and was initially listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as "endangered" in 1998 and was reclassified as "vulnerable" in 2021. Bolivian and Brazilian species were added to CITES Appendix III in 2010 and 2011. It is used domestically in construction and carpentry, to make fine furniture, doors, windows, frames, decorative veneers, turned items, crafts, canoes, as well as musical instruments and household implements. There is no export market beyond South America. As of 2022 all species of native Cedrela have been downgraded to CITES Appendix II.

ANDEAN CEDAR

Cedrela montana is a distinct species native to the Andes mountain range that runs along the western coast of the Amazon basin through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. It is known in English as ANDEAN CEDAR or MOUNTAIN CEDAR. Timber from this species is considered to be higher quality than other Cedrela species, on par with C. odorata and is in higher demand since restrictions have been imposed on the production of C. odorata. C. montana was classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List in 2021. Domestically it is mostly used for joinery and carpentry and construction and is otherwise used interchangeably with C. odorata. As of 2022 all species of South American Cedrela have been placed in CITES Appendix II.

Other Cedrela species are: C. oaxacensis, native to Mexico; C. nebulosa, native to the western and eastern Andes (as with C. montana); C. salvadorensis, native to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama; and C. tonduzii, native to Mexico, Panama, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

References:

Mahogany other than Swietenia: Cedrela

Cedrela

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