In the eastern area of Trentino, the Paneveggio forest has always been known for its "resonance wood" because of the string instruments that are produced from it. It was here that Antonio Stradivari would choose his soundboards made of European spruce, as did the finest musical instrument workshop in the 1700s. And today's makers of stringed instruments still come here to select their soundboards.
	Only a very few trees are suitable for soundboards. Specifically, only one percent of the European spruce trees cut down every year are set aside for stringed instruments (this works out to 40 - 50 m3 out of every 4000 - 4500 m3 cut). These are usually trunks whose diameters exceed 45 - 50 cm. and are sometimes 150 - 200 years old.
	The trunk is cut into four pieces (with a radial cut, virtually into slices) to make the grain exactly perpendicular to the board, which ensures sturdiness (think of how very thin a soundboard is), stability and uniform properties over its width.
	European spruce has microscopic resin ducts along its entire length. When the tree is alive, these ducts are used for trasporting resin. After the tree is cut, they remain hollow, and it is these structures that conduct vibration. It is essential for the wood to be aged naturally, and without artificial heating, so that the resin inside the dicts crystallized over the years, and the ducts turn into small organ pipes.