Forest Legality Alliance formed
8 June 2010US timber groups have backed a new Forest Legality Alliance which has been launched for private and public institutions with an interest in legal forest product supply chains.
The Alliance is intended to provide ongoing support for private sector efforts and policies directed at curbing trade in illegally harvested forest products.
It has been set up by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), along with a number of groups including NGO the Environmental Investigation Agency, the Hardwood Federation, IKEA, the International Wood Products Association and the US Agency for International Development.
The AF&PA was a strong backer of the 2008 Lacey Act amendment which made it illegal to import timber harvested in violation of the laws of a foreign country. It also supports additional funding to allow the US’s plant health inspection service to fully implement enforcement of the reporting requirement of the Lacey Act.
