Deliveries of American hardwoods to the UK and the rest of Europe could be quicker, more reliable, efficient and even cheaper if the EU accepts a new US phytosanitary timber treatment auditing and certification system.

The new approach is being proposed by the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) in response to increasing logistical problems caused by the existing system.

Currently every consignment of US hardwood has to be checked and certificated by the American Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the combination of a growing work load and insufficient personnel has led to an auditing log jam.

Ted Rossi, chief executive of hardwood supplier Rossi Group and immediate past president of the NHLA, said that timber shippers could wait five days or longer for an APHIS inspector.

“Under our approach, orders can be certified and turned around in 24 hours,” said Mr Rossi, who is also ex-chairman of The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and founding chair of the US Hardwood Federation. “It could cut average industry delivery times by a week.”

The NHLA system, which is approved by the US Department of Agriculture, is modelled on the approach in the American softwoods sector. An independent company, Timber Products Inspection (TPI), checks and certifies sawmills’ kilning and plant health procedures to ensure they meet APHIS standards. Subsequently the company is inspected monthly by TPI, and subjected to random APHIS audits several times a year.

“The mill is then approved to certify its own timber, which it can do immediately it gets the order,” said Mr Rossi.

The NHLA system, he added, will also be more cost-effective.

“The APHIS charge has risen to US$103 per shipment and inevitably some of that is passed on to customers,” he said.

Mr Rossi was last week visiting the UK as part of a whistle-stop tour of Europe, in association with AHEC, to promote the new scheme. The trip culminated in a meeting with EU officials.

“The system has already been accepted by a number of countries worldwide, and we hope it is approved by the EU Commission by spring,” said Mr Rossi.