The price for honduras mahogany will not go down any time soon. Mahogany has always been listed with CITES, but the rating change in Nov, 2003 to appendix II. This means that now the CITES export documents have to be ratifed by a scientific authority from that country that the lumber has been obtained in a manner that does not harm the long term survival of the species. From import of about 60 million bd ft in the early 90's, the US now imports about 15 million bd ft, have of that from Peru. Peruvian mahogany is classified as Apendix II, same as every other country in the neotropics (N & S America). Honduras and cuban mahogany from the Pacific Islands, like Fiji and Palau are exempt from CITES because they are plantation grown outside its normal growing range.
Bad news is their quality is poor, mahogany is a product of its environment. Nicaragua just placed a 10 year moratorium on mahogany exports, some can leave Nicaragua if value added is applied. Peru has cut back by 5% on CITES export quotas, and has cracked down on illegal shipments. Illegal shipments are at the heart of the lawsuit filed in the US, it is common knowledge in most countries that exporters get a permit to ship 100 M3 and then ship 200 M3, but show documents at only 100 M3. There is talk in both Peru and Bolivia to only allow mahogany to be exported if the exporteds do not ship out lumber, only value added products.
More bad news.
Mahogany trees that are cut down in a forest will not re-generate on their own. Young Mahogany trees are a shade intolerant species and need sunlight to grow. It is estimated that 1 acre must be cleared in a closed forest to get enough sunlight to allow mahogany saplings to grow to maturity.
Some good news.
I am an owner in a company in the Caribbean that has a 50 year old mahogany plantation. I have a steady supply of honduran mahogany that is superior to most cuban mahogany. I have in the past imported over 35,000 bd ft of cuban mahogany from Cuba, the first legal shipments from there since 1959, and supplied the White House last year with 100 year old cuban mahogany for repairs to the Eisenhower Executive Office (otherwise known as Dick Cheney's office), so I make that comparison with the ability to back it up. I will offer any member in good standing of SAPFM a discount of 10 to 20% off(depending on volume) our mahogany. I have a big price range, from $5 to $20 bd ft, but it is all a great value. At $20 bd ft you would get a complete flitch of very figured, very dense, wide, clear mahogany. At $5 you will get nice boards, 3 to 6 ft long, 4 to 8" wide. I can offer highly figured, extremely dense bookmatched flitches, crotches, complete trees cut to size, stumps, roots, small pieces for small buyers, and I also have 15 flitches of true cuban mahogany coming in soon, all 100% legal in the US, all 100% environmentally friendly. With our replanting program already started, we will have a continuous supply for the next 50 years and beyond. I am a recent member of SAPFM, this is my passion, this is what I love to do, I have spent the last 24 years in various woodworking related businesses, furniture building, woodworking machinery, as well as lumber. I have stock in Toronto, Canada and some near Nashville, TN. I am very open to anyone who would like to be a distributor for this product in their area, especially to focus on SAPFM members. I would love to have someone reliable and trustworthy to work with in the New England area especially. My references include Alf Sharpe of Tennessee, he purchased some of my mahogany last fall.