In article , "G.R. Patterson III"
writes:

Gig Giacona wrote:

And with the advances in science I wouldn't bet the farm that there will
never be another marketable Cuban mahogany tree IF there is sufficient
demand.

No way. They only grow to marketable size and quality when surrounded by
other
trees at least 60 feet tall. In other words, you would have to restore most
of
the Cuban rainforests to restore the mahoganies. About 500 years *after* you
restore those forests, you can harvest your first Cuban mahogany.


OK, the market will not provide real Cuban mahogany in our lifetimes, but if
the demand is there, it will provide some other material that will fill that
niche, in all but some very small esthetic differences.

Same is true for the ancient cypress lumber harvested in Louisiana. And lots of
other things that can only grow to maturity in a stone age economy.

The real questin is "Would you prefer the economic and technological realities
that existed before the Cuban Mahogany was harvested over he world today?"

Don

--
Wm. Donald (Don) Tabor Jr., DDS
PP-ASEL
Chesapeake, VA - CPK, PVG