The Soil Association Woodmark has been appointed an exclusive auditor of TracElite – Always On, the online service which helps buyers source timber from suppliers who are either Forest Stewardship Council certified or who are working towards certification.

TracElite is a collaboration between systems company Helveta Ltd and the Tropical Forest Trust (TFT). Through Helveta Control Intelligence Systems technology, TracElite analyses forestry and chain of custody data to remotely verify and assure good wood compliance worldwide.

If non-compliance is identified, TFT, which provides chain of custody and compliance verification services as a core component of TracElite, notifies stakeholders and auditors.

Scott Poynton, executive director of TFT, said: “Being able to say, hand on heart, that you know exactly where your wood comes from is an increasingly important part of the wood products business. Document sets, good or otherwise, just aren’t enough any more.”

He said the partnership would enable TracElite users to know exactly where their wood is and exactly where it came from and added: “It’s great news for everyone who wants to do good business and will really help in the fioght against the global scourge of illegal logging.”