US timber risk study complete

The final version of a study of the risk of illegal timber entering the US hardwood export supply chain has been released. And one outcome, its backers hope, will be acceptance of American hardwood under the Forest Stewardship Council’s ‘controlled wood standard’.

Commissioned by The American Hardwood Export Council from consultants Seneca Creek Associates, the study, “Assessment of Lawful Harvesting and Sustainability of US Hardwood Exports”, was officially unveiled at the AHEC conference, held as part of the US National Hardwood Lumber Association convention in San Francisco last week.

The background to the project was the low take-up of chain of custody certification in US hardwood due to fragmented forest ownership. Given this, and increasing insistence among governments and NGOs worldwide that wood imports are backed by proof of legality, AHEC decided the study was needed to defend the US hardwood trade.

The study covers the 33 principal US hardwood producing states and looks not only at the risk of illegal felling, but also the application of a wide range of environmental protection regulation.

“The conclusion was that less than 1% of hardwood in circulation is illegal,” said Seneca Creek’s Al Goetzl.

The AHEC study has now been submitted for assessment to environmental NGOs and other agencies worldwide.

One key aim is approval of US hardwood under the FSC controlled wood standard, the five main criteria of which, the study’s authors believe, it helps the industry satisfy.

Rupert Oliver of Forest Industries Intelligence said the study should also helped US hardwood satisfy the EU’s proposed new risk assessment-based rules to block imports of illegal timber.

A full report on the AHEC conference will appear in a forthcoming issue of TTJ.