Great - Michigan Country Lines Magazine

Above: Jim Kirt and Morrumbala residents he employed to work in
the sawmill he built in their African village. Top, right: Rachel Stivani,
a Cherryland Electric Co-op member from Traverse City, MI, with
Elijah, who works at the sawmill. Right: Jim Kirts’ sawmill helped
jump-start the village’s economy, including expanded electric service
that brought more rapid change, including a church and bank.
a utility employee had removed a number of
fuses to re-sell. After a lengthy discussion, the
employee returned the fuses. Just this past
Christmas, a transformer failure resulted in
a week-long power outage that ran through
the holidays.
Electricity brought another exciting change
to mill operations. The new electric table
saws enabled expansion into the harvesting
and processing of exotic African blackwood,
a highly desirable wood prized by artisans
and woodworkers worldwide.
A relatively small, long-lived and slowgrowing
tree, this blackwood has an esteemed
place in history that dates to antiquity. Egyptians
were so fond of it they sealed blackwood
artifacts in their tombs. Ancients called it
the “musical tree” because the dense, oily
heartwood produces a beautiful sound when
used for wind instruments. It’s a favorite for
clarinets and bagpipes, and Luthiers treasure
it for making stringed instruments, such as
guitars. It’s also the wood of choice for custom
billiard cues, knife handles, and fine turnings
such as extremely thin finials and executive
ink pens. In Africa, hand-carved blackwood
figurines are a tourist favorite to this day.
This brings our story full circle. In need of
a distributor for their blackwood and other
exotic woods harvested around Morrumbala,
such as Panga Panga and African mahogany,
the Kirts’ turned to their niece, Cherryland
Electric Co-op member Rachel Stivani.
Like her uncle, Rachel took a leap of faith.
She knew little about wood and less about
running a business, but given the niche
market served and small order sizes, Rachel
helped her aunt and uncle launch a webbased
business named “Blackwood Source.”
To keep overhead costs down, she keeps
inventory in her garage and at a small storage
shed south of Traverse City. Since launching
the business, Rachel has filled orders from
all but two states and shipped wood to every
continent except Antarctica.
Though web-based, Rachel has developed
many personal relationships with customers
who are eager to share stories and samples
of their woodworking projects. Popular uses
for the wood she supplies include game calls,
bagpipes and executive ink pens.
Given its natural beauty, it’s almost impossible
not to become mesmerized by the
blackwood species —especially when carefully
worked by a master craftsman, and Rachel
has not been immune from catching the
bug. She recently completed an introductory
wood-turning class and joined a local club.
Back in Africa, strong worldwide demand
coupled with agricultural expansion has
raised concerns about the future sustainability
of blackwood. Mill operators, like
Kalibu Timbers, conservation groups, and
governments across Africa are implementing
practices that will allow the trees to flourish
while maintaining an important source of
revenue.
As for Jim and Eileen Kirt, they are ready
to start a new chapter in their lives and plan
to relocate stateside early this year. Their
departure will mean the end of Kalibu Timbers,
but not the mission, as a new couple
has stepped in to continue the good work
started by the Kirts. Eventually, when existing
inventories have run out, Blackwood Source
will shut down, too.
The Kirts’ do plan to return to Mozambique
for short visits in the coming years and
stay connected to the mission they began so
many years ago. For them, it’s been a fascinating
and rewarding journey that has touched
many lives, which is what often happens
when you choose a path less-travelled.
Visit cherrylandelectric.com to see more
pictures of the mission, sawmill, and people of
Morrumbala.
March 2013 | 11