Description
A slow and constant growth, a special and unique climate, the right mix of light, warmth and humidity, allows the spruce (Picea abies Karst), present here on 86% of the entire wooded area, to produce, in very limited quantities, the sounding boards for the best stringed instruments and pianos.
From 1700 to the present day, luthiers from all over the world have been selecting logs or quarters here, which time, experience and their sensitivity will transform into soundboards for fine, refined musical instruments of rare and sought-after tonal and aesthetic beauty.
The resonance wood grows in Paneveggio, in the heart of a few spruce trees, it is obtained from ordinary cuts and chosen according to traditional principles and innovative techniques, it matures for a long time in the drying kilns at the foot of the Dolomites.
Then, yesterday, tomorrow, soon, it will be carefully processed until it reaches the few millimetres necessary to discover the soul of sound in the best soundboards.
The unique uniqueness of this wood lies in its special anatomical, physical, mechanical and acoustic characteristics. It has no macroscopic defects, it is free of knots, the fibre is straight and basically sound.
What is remarkable and special, when compared to normal wood, is the high transmission speed of ultrasound that propagates in the longitudinal and transverse direction of the wood fibre.
Soundboards are produced using the radial sections of logs at least 50 cm in diameter, over 150-200 years old, where the rings have no bends, knots or other defects.
The log portions are processed by hand by cleaving, reducing them to quarters and then to blanks. They are then placed in order in well-ventilated drying rooms where the wind carries the light elements away with it, leaving the wood with the secret alchemy that can produce brilliant, unique and infinite sounds.
Centuries of wood
S e c o l l s o f w o r k
Ever since Antonio Stradivari personally chose 'his boards' in Paneveggio in 1719, the fame of this wood has fascinated luthiers, musicians and artists the world over. The celebrated quality of the fibre, the management, the qualified care and the passion for 'the trees that play' of Paneveggio, have allowed the production of violins, violas, guitars and pianos with a unique and extraordinary sound.
The Paneveggio Forest has been awarded the PEFC label, which certifies the sustainable forest management of the forest and the forest-wood chain.
Spruce - Picea abies Karst
Growth environment
between 1500 and 1900 metres altitude, cool old-growth forests, N-NE exposure
Thediffusion area of resonance wood
Italy: Paneveggio, Latemar, Tarvisio
Switzerland: Waadtländer Alps and Forêt des Pays d'en Haut
Germany: Bayerischer Wald, Harz, Schwarzwald, Erzgebirge
The vegetative period
is short-lived, produces annual ring formation with small portions of late wood, requires an adequate and continuous amount of water, which is the basis for regular and optimal growth.
Cultural effects
Resonance Wood is an important resource that brings great economic and financial benefits to the forest areas where it grows and is cultivated.
It also favours and enhances the image and promotion of a territory that has built and continues to build its history and identity around wood.