Under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), companies can only sell products in the EU if the supplier of the product has issued a “due diligence” statement confirming that the product does not come from deforested land or caused forest degradation.* The adopted text of the EUDR has to be formally endorsed by the European Council. It will then be published in the EU Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later. This is expected to happen by June 2023. According to Article 3 of the pre-endorsed text, relevant commodities and products shall not be placed on the EU market unles ..read more

In the decade ending in 2021, U.S. imports of forest products from Peru crashed 74% on a value basis. During this time, U.S. imports from South America, as a whole, increased 166%. The post U.S. imports of forest products from Peru crash appeared first on TimberCheck ..read more

On May 12, 2022, environmental NGO’s and U.S. timber industry published a document titled, Joint Recommendations to Halt the Illegal Timber Trade: Utilize the Lacey Act Amendments of 2008. Their case for further enforcement of the Lacey Act is made around a gross misrepresentation, if not fraudulent one, of one estimate from a single study. The document reads, “The Lacey Act Amendments of 2008 were adopted with bipartisan support and have contributed to reduced imports of illegally sourced wood products by 32%–44%.” This statement does not include a source. A later mention of this statement re ..read more

Illegal logging in the U.S. is common and can even occur on a large scale. The myth that timber from U.S. forests is “low-risk” is rooted in trade protectionist efforts by the U.S. wood products industry. Using industry-sponsored studies, the industry, in partnership with environmental organizations, lobbied to give U.S. forest products an edge with regards to foreign producers. That illegal logging in the U.S. is not a problem is a virtual myth Try this experiment. Google “illegal logging in the united states”. A search from a U.S. IP address on May 22, 2022 returns the following claim by the ..read more

Here is a list of Lacey Act violations for wood products originating in U.S. forests. The list includes both alleged violations and convictions. Walnut timber from Giles County, Virginia (2022)* – alleged Figured Maple from Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington (2016) Lacey Act violations for wood products originating in U.S. forests was last updated: May 12, 2022. The Department of Justice is the primary source of this data. To submit updates or corrections contact TimberCheck. The post Lacey Act violations for wood products originating in U.S. forests appeared first on TimberCheck ..read more

The White House “Plan to Conserve Global Forests” is the first of its kind by the U.S. government. It sets forth what it calls “the U.S. approach” to conserving forests. The Plan focuses on three forest ecosystems: Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asian. According to the document, the Plan “leverages [U.S.] domestic leadership”. And highlights “efforts in the Pacific Northwest and Tongass”. The Plan essentially sets out a blueprint for the foreign involvement of the United States in the governance of tropical forest resources. But is the U.S. really a leader in tropical forest conservation? Questi ..read more

“Large-scale” theft of Walnut timber allegedly occurred on a 21,000 acre protected area in Giles County, Virginia, according to the Department of Justice. An indictment of three men include at least 6 counts of Lacey Act violations. Charging U.S. loggers with Lacey Act violations is rare. This is despite illegal logging being widespread in the country. Could this signify a change in enforcement of the Lacey Act within U.S. timber supply chains? Does this mean merchants trading U.S. hardwoods face higher legal risks and due diligence expectations? Under the Lacey Act, anyone processing, transpo ..read more

Birch plywood suppliers likely face heightened legal risk when buying Birch from Russia. Watch dogs that scrutinize supply chains for illegal wood flows could turn their sights on Birch plywood originating from Russian forests, if they haven’t already. If Birch plywood supply chains are found to involve Lacey Act violations, or even just alleged to, this could lead to long-term Birch plywood supply constraints. Birch plywood from Russia As of 2019, 10% of U.S. hardwood plywood was directly supplied by Russia. Indirectly, it’s possible that Russia accounts for 20% of U.S. hardwood plywood consu ..read more

Hardwood plywood is an important material for many U.S. manufacturers. It’s used to make kitchen cabinets, recreational vehicles, mobile homes, flooring, and furniture. TimberCheck estimates that 10% of hardwood plywood in the United States originates directly from Russia. See also: Do Birch plywood suppliers face new legal risk when buying Birch from Russia? Imports dominant in the U.S. market In 2019, about 54.4% of the hardwood plywood consumed by manufacturers in the United States was imported. The U.S. consumed at estimated 4.5 million cubic meters (m3) of hardwood plywood (Alderman 2020 ..read more

Direct U.S. imports of forest products from Russia doubled in 2021 to almost half-a-billion dollars. Most of this entered the country as hardwood plywood (74.1%), OSB/waferboard (10.3%), and softwood lumber (9.8%). According to the Census Bureau, most the hardwood plywood is classified as “Birch”. Birch plywood is commonly marketed as “Baltic Birch” or “Russian Birch”, or even just “Birch plywood”. Most of this softwood lumber is classified as “Spruce”, with a significant amount of “Pine”. TimberCheck provides research and data on wood flows. Contact. The post What forest products from R ..read more