Topic: forest certification

RELEASE: Guide for Business Drives Better Decisions on Forest Products

James Anderson — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:06:40 -0500

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today released the third edition of Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products to help businesses buy products from sustainably managed forests and improve forest management.

The full guide resource kit is available online here or at www.SustainableForestProducts.org.

With the third edition of the sustainable procurement guide, WRI and WBCSD continue to support better business decisions by providing information to help them understand the origin, legality, ecological and social dimensions of the wood and paper-based products they purchase and use. The new edition incorporates the most up-to-date developments on the legality of forest products and new technological developments to control wood and paper supply chains and increase their transparency. It includes an expanded chapter on the social implications of forest products.

The guide provides an overview of the 10 key issues underpinning procurement, including forest management; provides an overview of a selection of tools, initiatives and additional resources; and clarifies and explains the maze of terminology around sustainable forest products.

James Griffiths, Managing Director, Forest Solutions at the WBCSD said: “Every single business uses wood and paper-based products on a daily basis, be that paper for printing and packaging or wood in construction, or as office furniture. As demand for wood increases, and the competition for forest-based products intensifies, business needs to make better decisions on sourcing in order to support and incentivize sustainable forest- management. Our guide will help them do just that.”

Ruth Noguerón, Associate with the World Resources Institute, said, “Forests are important for the global environment, the economy, and the estimated 500 million people that depend on them for their livelihoods. We need to maintain forests for the future, and a key element of that is ensuring that forest products are sustainably produced. If we increase the demand for sustainable forest products, producers are encouraged to improve their management practices to meet that demand.”

José Luciano Penido, Chairman, Fibria and Co-Chair of the WBCSD Forest Solutions Group, said: “Decisions about the purchase and use of wood and paper-based products can have extensive and long-term consequences on ecological, social and economic values of forests and forest plantations. Being able to make informed choices is imperative for all businesses in building and retaining consumer confidence in their product offerings, including the use of paper packaging or timber components.”

Joseph Lawson, Global Director of Sustainable Forests and Forest Products for MWV said: “Since its first release in 2008, the guide has been used by a diverse group of stakeholders and together with them we have been revising and enhancing it on a regular basis. For this edition, the focus was on updating the content, including government procurement and legality verification developments and improving ease of navigation, design and format.”

Riikka Joukio, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at Metsä Group and Co-Chair of the WBCSD Forest Solutions Group, said: “Sustainable forest management means managing our forest resources to meet society’s needs today, without interfering with our future generations’ needs. Forests need to be managed in a way that they retain their growth and vitality, ecological functions and biodiversity. The WBCSD and WRI guide cuts through any confusion about how all business can contribute to using sustainable forest products and maintaining this crucial natural resource.”

To access the guide Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products, please visit www.SustainableForestProducts.org.

For more information please contact:

James Anderson, Press Officer
World Resources Institute
Janderson@wri.org
t: +1 202-729-7608
m: +1 507-301-2385

Coming Soon: Global Forest Watch 2.0

James Anderson — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:03:32 -0500

Welcome to the home of Global Forest Watch 2.0, a powerful near real-time forest monitoring system that unites satellite technology, data sharing, and human networks around the world to fight deforestation.

GFW 2.0 is currently under development, and will launch in late 2013.

Read more below, and email gfw2@wri.org to participate in the pilot testing period or be notified when GFW 2.0 launches. Please note that as we prepare for the launch, the original Global Forest Watch website has been redirected to this page.

Watch a Short Preview of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the UN Forum on Forests 10, in Istanbul.

Watch the full version here

Speakers:

Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Forestry, Indonesia
Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute

Photo by David Gilbert

WHY FORESTS, WHY NOW?

Forests provide food jobs, raw materials, climate benefits and more. But without clear, up-to-date information, governments, companies and communities lack the tools to monitor and manage these resources.

We can track a company’s financial information daily, but information about forests is often years out of date.

Deforestation continues today in part because by the time satellite images are available, analyzed, and shared, the forest clearing is long done. The illegal loggers have moved on; cattle are already grazing amidst stumps; the oil palm plantation has been established. We simply find out too late.

New technologies can overcome these challenges

Fortunately, a convergence of technologies and human networks offers the ability to address these challenges for the first time:

Advances in satellite and remote sensing technology, including the launch of NASA’s Landsat 8 in early 2013, and new private systems, enable higher spatial resolution analysis and much more rapid updates of information. This has enabled the development of near-real-time forest cover change detection.
Brazilian partner IMAZON, is making its Amazon Alert System available through GFW 2.0, and also the DETER system which is innovating in detection of forest degradation. Brazil has seen a remarkable drop in deforestation in the Amazon of almost 80 percent partly due to improved linked to more effective use of satellite imagery.
Cloud computing and open source software can now be used to rapidly process and interpret large volumes of satellite data at low cost by utilizing clusters of servers scattered around the world. Google Earth Engine’s team is partnered with Global Forest Watch 2.0 to optimize easy access to cloud computing-based forest cover information.
High speed internet connectivity enables sending data and forest maps processed in North America, Europe, or Singapore to laptops and mobile phones in Jakarta, Kinshasa, Lima, Vladivostok, and other corners of the globe.
Smartphones are more common than ever and can be used by anyone in the field to download maps and satellite images, as well as upload GPS coordinates and photographs from the ground.
Crowdsourcing using simple web interfaces can empower thousands if not millions of people to gather and share information, participate in forest monitoring, and hold decision-makers accountable. • Social media outlets are creating a flat, networked world in which information travels fast, communities self-organize, and people get mobilized.

ABOUT GLOBAL FOREST WATCH 2.0

These enhanced technologies and social movements are the foundation for Global Forest Watch 2.0. GFW 2.0 will unite a near-real-time deforestation alert system, complementary satellite imagery and monitoring systems, WRI’s data-rich collection of maps, mobile technology, and a networked world to create never-before-possible transparency for faraway forests.

The platform is currently under development, and will be launched in late 2013.

This powerful new platform will enable responsible companies, NGOs, the media, and progressive government leaders to hold those responsible accountable for forest management.

GFW 2.0 can be useful to multiple groups of users involved with the sustainable management of forests:

Buyers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will enable buyers of sustainably sourced commodities―such as certified timber, palm oil, soya, and beef―to confirm adherence to or violations of supplier commitments to “no deforestation,” “no clearing of high conservation value forest,” and related criteria.
Suppliers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will help suppliers of sustainable commodities prove to buyers, investors, governments, and NGOs that their commodities are adhering to best forest management practices, national laws, criteria of the relevant commodity roundtables, or investor lending conditions.
Governments. GFW 2.0 is designed to help progressive elements in governments better enforce sustainable forest management and forest protection laws. GFW 2.0 is also designed to be a trusted, independent, and user-friendly way to help investors in REDD+ and other forest conservation projects monitor performance and hold countries accountable to their commitments on greenhouse gas emission reductions and forest conservation.
Conservation and community organizations. GFW 2.0 will enable NGOs dedicated to forest conservation, indigenous rights, and forest communities to identify deforestation hotspots as they arise and quickly mobilize action to curtail further clearing.
The media. GFW 2.0 will enable local, national, and international media to ring the alarm bell on deforestation hotspots around the globe at a pace never-before-possible, and thereby put pressure on governments, companies, and others to curtail forest conversion and illegal logging in time

Applying new technology

GFW 2.0 combines satellites, new algorithms, cloud computing, mobile phone technologies, and WRI databases to connect images, maps, photos, and data with forest clearing alerts ultimately within two weeks of significant deforestation occurring.

Because GFW 2.0 will be powered by Google Earth Engine and Earth Builder, it will bring to target users a seamless experience of the best technology offered by WRI, Google, and their partners, as Bloomberg does for the world’s vast, complex array of financial information.

Mobilizing human networks

GFW 2.0 will mobilize networks of people to ensure sustainable management of forests and greater forest conservation. Global Forest Watch “anchor” NGOs in each priority country or region, will actively use and contribute content in an open-source, network model.

These groups will include ScanEx and its non-profit affiliate Transparent World in Russia, Imazon in Brazil and their Amazon-wide network of partners across the seven neighboring countries, the Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC) which covers the Central Africa region. More partners in Canada, China, Europe, and the United States are joining every day.

Watch a Sneak Peek of GFW 2.0 presented at Rio+20

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Carlos Souza Jr., Senior Researcher, IMAZON
Charles Barber, Forest Division Chief, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, U.S. Department of State
Rebecca Moore, Google
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch UNEP’s press conference featuring GFW 2.0 at COP18 in Doha

Speakers:

Mr. Heru Prasetyo, Deputy I, Presidential Delivery Unit on Development Monitoring and Oversight, Government of Indonesia
Tim Christophersen, Senior Programme Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Jane Feehan, Natural Resources Specialist, European Investment Bank
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch a Sneak Peek of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the U.S. Pavilion, COP18 in Doha

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Nigel Sizer, Director, Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute
Nirarta “Koni” Samadhi, Head of REDD+ Task Force Working Group on Moratorium Monitoring, Presidential Work Unit on Monitoring and Development Oversight (UKP4), Government of Indonesia
Per Fredrik Ilsaas Pharo, Director, International Climate and Forest Initiative, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, Government of Norway
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Read more about WRI’s forest work here.

Insights from the Field: Forests for Climate and Timber

Maggie Barron — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:25:59 -0500

The Carbon Canopy is a novel partnership among companies, landowners, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that seeks to leverage markets for ecosystem services to increase the area of southern U.S. forests certified as sustainably managed. The partnership aspires to sustain southern forests for their economic, climate, water, and other benefits.

The Carbon Canopy’s first focus has been on linking forest carbon offset generation and certified forest management, wherein carbon offset revenue is designed to compensate woodland owners for the cost of certification and provide an attractive new revenue stream.
The Carbon Canopy’s experience to date provides a number of insights for other organizations seeking to build and expand markets for forest carbon offsets linked with forest certification. These insights were gleaned from the authors’ observations as well as interviews with several members of the Carbon Canopy partnership, including landowners, buyers, and NGOs. These insights apply to building demand, ensuring supply, and creating the transactional infrastructure for forest carbon offsets and certified saw timber or wood fiber.
To build robust demand, companies, NGOs, and other organizations seeking to replicate the approach of combining forest carbon offsets and certification should—
- Actively recruit buyers; and
- Secure an anchor buyer early on.
- To ensure sufficient supply of offsets and certified timber, these organizations should—
- Invest in woodland owner education;
- Make the business case to woodland owners;
- Find upfront financing; and
- Be sure to engage all parties with claims on the land.
To create an efficient transactional infrastructure, these organizations should—
- Select forest management and carbon offset certification standards early on;
- Select standards that are high quality and that facilitate market participation; and
- Leverage existing resources and landowner networks.

Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-Based Products: Version 2

Ruth Nogueron — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:52:22 -0400

Find out more at http://www.sustainableforestprods.org

Version 2 contains updates to the sections on legality and useful resources, known as the "guide to the guides." The guide now describes 47 tools and resources (13 more than in the previous version) that aid sustainable procurement of forest products.

Decisions regarding the purchase and use of wood and paper-based products can have far-reaching, long-term impacts for the forests where they are harvested, the communities supported by wood-using industries, and the places where those products are purchased and used.

The information in this joint WRI/WBCSD publication is organized around ten key issues, posed as "essential questions" that procurement managers might address related to the sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products:

Origin: Where do the products come from?
Information accuracy: Is information about the products credible?
Legality: Have the products been legally produced?
Sustainability: Have forests been sustainably managed?
Special places: Have special places, including sensitive ecosystems, been protected?
Climate change: Have climate issues been addressed?
Environmental protection: Have appropriate environmental controls been applied?
Recycled fiber: Has recycled fiber been used appropriately?
Other resources: Have other resources been used appropriately?
Local communities and indigenous peoples: Have the needs of local communities or indigenous peoples been addressed?

The publication is designed as an information tool to help customers develop their own sustainable procurement policies for wood and paper-based products. It is also a decision support tool providing simple and clear information on twenty-two existing approaches to the procurement of wood and paper-based products from legal and sustainable sources, as well as providing additional references and resource materials.

Are Your Wood Products Really Certified?

Caitlin Clarke — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:09:26 -0400

WRI experts answer questions on forest certification and the Lacey Act.

In November 2009, federal agents raided a Gibson Guitar manufacturing facility in Tennessee as part of an investigation under the Lacey Act. Agents were investigating the alleged use of illegally sourced wood from Madagascar in some of Gibson’s well-known musical instruments. If proven, import or use of such wood can constitute a serious felony punishable with large fines for the company and possible jail terms for any executives involved.

Before the raid, Gibson had a reputation as a progressive company and a proponent of forest certification. The company had taken steps to make its business more sustainable through the use of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system, yet is alleged to have bought valuable wood stolen from Madagascar’s national parks. How could this happen, and what does it have to do with the certification process?

Members of the Forest Legality Alliance, which WRI helped to found, have asked the following questions:

What is forest certification?

Forest certification emerged in the early 1990s as a way to promote and/or guarantee responsible management of forests. Certification is intended as a “seal of approval” to notify consumers that certified wood products came from well-managed forests and were tracked through documented supply chains, independently monitored by credible third parties. Certification offers a powerful means to encourage companies to improve forest management practices, harnessing the power of markets and consumers to support environmental and social standards.

Is it possible for companies holding FSC certification to potentially trade in illegal products?

It is possible. A company can hold FSC certificates, but that does not mean that all of its products are necessarily FSC certified. Companies can choose which product lines to certify. These may include all the products they sell, or just a small percentage. An FSC certificate for one product line guarantees nothing about other non-certified product lines manufactured and sold by the same company.

Who is in charge of forest certification programs?

Forest certification schemes are managed by NGOs, industry associations, and forest owners’ federations. They are voluntary, market-based programs. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is among the best-known of these standards. Others include the Europe-led Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the U.S.-based Sustainable Forestry Initiative, among many.

How does certification work?

Under the FSC system, two steps in the forest product supply chain can be certified: forest management (FM) and chain of custody (CoC). Forest management certification means that the forest itself from which the trees were harvested has been managed in accordance with the FSC Forest Management Standard. Chain of custody certification means that the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of forest products can be documented and traced through the supply chain, and that these steps conform to the FSC Chain of Custody Standard.

The Forest Stewardship Council only sets standards (forest management and chain of custody) and accredits other bodies to assess and audit against these standards. These other bodies are called certification bodies and are the organizations a company needs to contact in order to attain an FSC FM or CoC certificate. A full list of the current CBs is below.

If a company says it is certified, could I still be inadvertently buying wood of suspicious origin?

It is possible. When the certification process works as it is intended to work, illegally sourced wood is screened out of the certified supply chain.¹ Buyers then tend to think that the company itself, along with everything it sells, is therefore certified. In reality, companies may only have just a small percentage or their production certified. Certification normally only applies to a very specific set of products that probably comprise only a small percentage of the company’s overall product line.

A company holding only one CoC certificate may promote itself as a “certified” company, but such a claim is often misleading. It is entirely possible for a company to sell only one certified product, while at the same time selling hundreds of other products that are not certified.

In the Gibson case, the wood from Madagascar that was of interest to the U.S. government in its Lacey investigation was never covered by any type of certification, and so would not have been allowed to be used in any product labeled or sold as FSC-certified. Gibson only holds FSC certificates that apply to certain woods used in a specific line of guitars, none of which would apply to protected species purchased from Madagascar.

How can I tell what is actually certified?

In the case of FSC products, the Forest Stewardship Council requires that every company holding an FSC CoC certificate maintain a list of products sold as FSC certified. This list, called a product group schedule, must detail for each product the species make-up and the percent of the wood content that is FSC certified.²

If you are buying from a company that holds an FSC certificate and you want to buy an FSC product, be sure to check the specific product you want to buy against the company’s product group schedule. If the product is not listed, it is not FSC certified, regardless of whether the company holds a certificate for other products. Buyers must be aware that certification applies only to specific products, and so not necessarily to all the products the company sells.

As a buyer of FSC certified forest products, what do I need to do?

Check the certificate of the supply. What, specifically, is being claimed as certified? You can do this by checking the FSC certificate database (http://info.fsc.org/) or by going directly to the certification body that issued the certificate – see the table below for contact details. To find out which certification body issued the certificate, refer to the certification code on the product or documents. The code will show the certification body’s initials. See How to Read A Certification Code below, along with a table of abbreviations and certification bodies.
Once you have checked the validity of the certificate, check to see that the product you are buying is part of the company’s FSC product group schedule, if applicable. (All such product group schedules are available as a matter of public record at http://info.fsc.org/.)
Ask your supplier questions such as: What is the supply chain for this product? If the product is not certified, can you trace the products all the way back to the forest? What is the degree of illegal activity in that forest or region? What processes do you have in place to prevent illegally harvested material from entering your supply? It is always helpful to document this process in writing.
Determine the relative risks associated with the forest of origin. Is the region suspected by credible sources of having high levels of illegal logging? Are you aware of serious concerns about governance in the country or region? Are civil society campaigns currently underway that indicate that this is a forest of concern? If so, compare the risk of inadvertently sourcing illegal wood products to your degree of risk aversion. If responses from your supplier to the questions you ask do not meet your risk tolerance levels, consider sourcing from a different supplier or region. Remember that simply knowing that you are taking a risk could impact your level of responsibility under the Lacey Act when determining whether you exercised due care. The UK think tank Chatham House maintains a good aggregation of recent illegal logging news, which can be a good place to begin your search. You can also visit www.forestlegality.org.
Establish a forest products purchasing policy that reflects company values and risk thresholds and incorporates environmental and social safeguards. Such policies can be a good foundation for practicing due care. Training employees on the policy and putting in place systems and performance incentives for policy implementation can be a way to reduce risk effectively.

There are legal and responsible ways to harvest nearly all species, even from typically “high-risk” areas of the world. Just ensure that you’ve taken the steps necessary to ascertain the legality of your product, whether the company you are dealing with is certified or not.

How to Read A Certification Code

**Table 1. Forest Certification Bodies**
Certification Body Code	Certification Body	Type of Certification Offered	Website
TT	BM TRADA Certification Ltd	Worldwide for Chain of Custody (CoC) certification	www.bmtrada.com
BV	Bureau Veritas Certification	Worldwide for Forest Management (FM) and Chain of Custody certification	www.certification.bureauveritas.fr
RR	Certification Association “Russian Register”	Chain of Custody certification in the CIS* countries, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia and Lithuania excluding the certification of SLIMF operations	www.rusregister.ru
CQ	Certiquality	Worldwide for Chain of Custody certification	www.certiquality.it
CU	Control Union Certifications B.V.	Worldwide for Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification	www.controlunion.com
CTIB	CTIB-TCHN Belgian Institute for Wood Technology	Chain of Custody certification to include all countries in the EU and the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA)	www.ctib-tchn.be
DNV	Det Norske Veritas Certification AB	Worldwide for Chain of Custody certification and FSC accreditation for Forest Management limited to Sweden	www.detnorskeveritas.se
FC	Forest Certification LLC	FSC Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification in the CIS* countries excluding the certification of SLIMF operations	www.fcert.ru
FCBA	Technological Institute (earlier called CTBA)	Chain of Custody certification, limited to 32 countries with French as official	www.fcba.fr
GFA	GFA Consulting Group GmbH	Worldwide for Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification	www.gfa-certification.de
HCA	HolzCert Austria	Worldwide for Chain of Custody certification	www.holzcert.at
ICILA	ICILA Srl.	Worldwide for Chain of Custody certification and FSC accreditation for Forest Management limited to Italy	www.icila.org
IMO	Institut für Marktökologie	Worldwide for Forest Management, FSC Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification. Note: Terminated for FSC Forest Management certification in Chile, as of 16th May 2008.	www.imo.ch
KF	KPMG Forest Certification Services Inc.	Worldwide for Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification	www.kpmg.ca
IC	LGA InterCert GmbH	Worldwide for Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification	www.lga-intercert.com
QMI	QMI-SAI Global Assurance Services	Worldwide for Forest Management, FSC Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification	www.qmi.com
SCS	Scientific Certification Systems	Worldwide for Forest Management, FSC Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification	www.scscertified.com
SGS	SGS South Africa (Pty) Ltd.	Worldwide for Forest Management, FSC Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification. Note: Suspended for FSC Forest Management certification in Brazil, as of 17th February 2011.	www.qualifor.sgs.com
SGS NA	SGS Systems & Services Certification, North America	Chain of Custody certification for USA, Canada and Mexico	N/A
SW	SmartWood, Rainforest Alliance	Worldwide for Forest Management, FSC Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification	www.rainforest-alliance.org
SA	Soil Association Woodmark	Worldwide for Forest Management, FSC Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification	www.soilassociation.org/forestry
SKH	Stichting Keuringsbureau Hout	Chain of Custody certification for The Netherlands	www.skh.org
SQS	Swiss Association for Quality and Management Systems	Worldwide for Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification	www.sqs.ch
TUV	TÜV Nord Cert GmbH	Worldwide for Chain of Custody certification	www.tuev-nord-cert.com

Reference: ASI – Accreditation Services International GmbH, Accredited Certification Bodies for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Program, 18 February 2011.

[Top]

For more information, visit www.forestlegality.org.

Disclaimer: This document is for informational purposes only. Persons and companies seeking legal advice on compliance with the Lacey Act statute should consult with a legal professional.

This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the Forest Legality Alliance and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

While certification can be used as a tool to demonstrate that a company has attempted to source legally produced wood, it is important to note that the Lacey Act is a fact-based, not a document-based, statute. This means that there are no “get out of jail free” cards. Neither certification nor verification can be used to exempt a company from the underlying requirement that the products it sells must be legally produced. ↩
The subject of mixed products can complicate efforts to understand what is certified and what is not. Mixed-source products are comprised of certified and non-certified components, with the non-certified components controlled by a lower standard of compliance to sustainable and/or legal standards. These standards will vary depending on the certification system used. A full discussion of mixed sources is beyond the scope of this article. To learn more about this important subject, visit the certification schemes’ websites at http://www.fsc.org/ and http://www.pefc.org/. ↩

PRESS RELEASE: WRI Expands Capacity in International Forest and Ecosystems Work

Michael Oko — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:29:37 -0400

Two new leaders, Nigel Sizer and Robert Winterbottom, added to roster

Two international forest experts, with more than 45 years combined experience, have joined the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) People and Ecosystems Program. Dr. Nigel Sizer, who worked at WRI earlier in his career, returns to lead the Global Forest Initiative, overseeing efforts to increase the ability of governments, businesses and civil society to protect intact forest landscapes, sustainably manage working forests, and restore deforested lands. Robert Winterbottom, who also previously spent time at WRI, is now directing the Ecosystem Services Initiative, managing activities to reduce the degradation of ecosystems, and to invest in ecosystem services to secure economic growth and enhance people’s well being.

“We are thrilled to bring Nigel and Bob back to WRI— two extremely qualified experts with hands-on experience,” said Craig Hanson, director of WRI’s People and Ecosystem Program. “I look forward to working with them, as WRI expands its impact through our global forest and ecosystem services initiatives.”

Sizer comes to WRI from Rare, an international conservation organization, where he served as vice president for Asia. While at Rare, he expanded operations into China, and conceived and developed Community Carbon, a grassroots effort to link impoverished communities in Indonesia to global carbon markets. In 2008, he served as lead advisor on climate change and energy issues in Asia to former President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative. Sizer has also worked with UNEP in Nairobi, and established The Nature Conservancy’s Asia-Pacific Forest Program.

“I am delighted to be back at WRI, which has built an extraordinary reputation over the years,” said Sizer. “I really look forward to working with new colleagues and helping expand both our influence and impact in the world.”

Winterbottom comes to WRI with more than 25 years of experience on environment and sustainable development issues in dozens of countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. In Bangladesh, he worked to scale up the collaborative management of wetlands and protected forests by building capacity at the grassroots level and among responsible government agencies. In eastern Senegal, he increased rural incomes by expanding community-based enterprises, together with improved land use planning and natural resource management. Winterbottom also supported efforts by Niger to strengthen property rights and policies to promote widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and “regreening” of rural landscapes. Most recently, he led a team of experts in assessing needs and opportunities in Vietnam for climate change adaptation and restoration of ecosystem services in targeted watersheds.

“For many years, WRI has been at the forefront of helping governments and businesses understand the value of ecosystem services,” said Winterbottom. “I’m excited to be back at WRI to advance this groundbreaking work.”

Risk Free? Paper and the Lacey Act

Ruth Nogueron — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:47:14 -0500

En Español | Chinese/中文

Tests detect potentially illegal wood in paper. Here are some tips to manage risk.

Download PDF of this post (PDF, 169 Kb)
English | Chinese/中文 | En Español

The amended U.S. Lacey Act has already impacted the wood industry, from the investigation of Gibson Guitars to a recently-reported seizure of Peruvian hardwood. Both of these cases involved solid wood products. But what about paper?

Paper poses the challenge of linking an illegally harvested tree in a faraway forest to a piece of paper purchased in the United States—after all the mixing and bleaching. Companies in the Forest Legality Alliance and others asked whether or not it is even possible to find Lacey violations in paper products.

Working with others, WRI decided to check it out.

We sent samples from 32 imported paper products to an independent fiber analysis laboratory. Samples we had tested came from stationery, paper bags, cardboard boxes, toilet paper, facial tissue paper, wrapping paper, and books—including pages, glossy cover sleeves, and cardboard from hardback covers. All products were purchased from stores and outlets in the United States.

With fiber analysis, scientists use high powered microscopes to look at plant fibers and vessels in a snippet of paper to identify what types of trees were used to make it. Vessels are structures that transport nutrients and water in plants, and they have distinct anatomical features that allow for identification of its genus and, in some cases, species.

A Rhizophora vessel. Source: Ghose and Das. 2001.

What we found is telling.

The tests identified vessels with anatomical features consistent with those of ramin (Gonystylus spp) in a page of a coffee table book and in the cover paper of a children’s book. These books were purchased from a U.S. retailer and published by U.S. firms but were manufactured in and imported directly from Indonesia. Increasingly rare, ramin trees have been protected internationally since 2003 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Likewise, the Indonesian government has imposed an export ban on all ramin products. In other words, ramin fibers should not be found in paper.

In the cover of another children’s book, the tests found vessels consistent with those of mangrove trees (Rhizophora spp). Import/export trade databases indicated that this book, too, was manufactured in Indonesia. Mangrove trees are protected from harvest under Indonesian coastal protection, conservation, and forest management laws.

Consequently, all three of these books potentially violate the 2008 amendments to the U.S. Lacey Act, which prohibit trade within the United States of products made from plants that are harvested in contrary to international law or the law of their countries of origin. Since 2008, it has been illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, or purchase such plant products – including pulp and paper – in the United States. All actors in the supply chain, including importers, publishers, and retailers can be liable under Lacey. Penalties can include forfeiture of goods and fines of up to $500,000 and jail time.

The Amended Lacey Act

The 2008 amendments to the U.S. Lacey Act:

Prohibit trade into and within U.S. borders of any product made from trees or other plants that were logged or traded in violation of a law in the country of harvest. Products include paper, lumber, and furniture;
Require importers of plant products to declare the country of harvest, the genus and species of the plant, as well as the product’s volume and value (this is the “declaration requirement”); and
Establish penalties for violations, including forfeiture of goods and vessels, fines of up to $500,000, and prison terms of up to five years.

Even though the declaration requirement does not yet apply to paper, the prohibition of trade in illegally harvested forest products has applied to paper since May 2008.

These results demonstrate that it is possible to detect potential Lacey violations for paper, thanks to modern technology. In addition, they suggest that the prevalence of illegally harvested fiber in paper products may be more common than assumed— 3 of just 32 products had suspicious fibers.

Furthermore, they portend the possible use of this technology by third parties to uncover Lacey violations. Some NGOs have already used fiber analysis to determine whether books were made from plantation wood or from natural tropical rainforests. Now we know they can find potentially illegal species in paper, too.

So what can companies in the paper supply chain do to avert the risk of purchasing paper with illegal fiber in it?

First and foremost, exercise due care. “Due care” lies at the core of the amended Lacey Act. It is the legal term for exercising the level of appropriate action that would be taken by a reasonably prudent person under the same circumstances to minimize the risk of purchasing plant products that were harvested or traded illegally.

Examples of due care in the context of purchasing paper products include:

Ask questions. Ask your paper supplier questions such as: What is your supply chain? Can you trace the paper all the way back to the forest? What is the degree of illegal activity in that forest or region? What processes do you have in place to prevent illegally harvested fiber from entering your supply?
Assess risk and respond accordingly. Determine the relative risks associated with the forest of origin. Is the region suspected by credible sources of having high levels of illegal logging? Are civil society campaigns currently underway that indicate that this is a forest of concern? If so, compare the risk of inadvertently sourcing illegal paper to your degree of risk aversion. If responses from your supplier to the questions you ask do not meet your risk tolerance levels, consider sourcing paper from a different supplier or region.
Adopt a comprehensive forest products purchasing policy. Establish a forest products purchasing policy that reflects company values and incorporates environmental and social safeguards. Such policies can be a good foundation for practicing due care. Training employees on the policy and putting in place systems and performance incentives for policy implementation can effectively reduce risk.
Purchase certified paper. Harvesting trees legally is a common feature of third-party forest certification programs. Therefore, purchasing certified paper can be a means of demonstrating due care. But note that certification per se does not necessarily mean that the paper is legal, especially if the verification systems of the certification program are not robust and in countries with weak governance. In such circumstances, illegally harvested fibers can still find their way into certified paper.
Conduct periodic fiber analysis tests. Periodically test samples of paper products you purchase. Periodic testing can reveal what’s in your paper and might uncover suspicious fibers and sources. Fiber analysis testing is not expensive, and there are a number of independent fiber testing labs, including:

Integrated Paper Services, Inc. (United States)
Institute for Paper Science and Technology, Darmstadt Technical University (Germany)
INNVENTIA (Sweden)
Econotech (Canada)

As we discovered, paper is not risk free when it comes to the amended U.S. Lacey Act. But there are steps one can take to reduce these risks and demonstrate due care…and not just on paper.

For more information about how you can conduct due care when purchasing forest products, visit www.forestlegality.org.

En Español

¿Sin Riesgos? Productos de Papel y el Acta Lacey

Análisis de laboratorio detectan posible madera ilegal en productos de papel. A continuación se presentan algunas sugerencias para manejar riesgos.

La enmienda de la Ley Lacey de los Estados Unidos ha impactado las industrias madereras, como lo demuestra la investigación a la empresa Guitarras Gibson y la incautación de maderas duras provenientes de Perú reportada recientemente. Ambos casos involucran productos de madera sólida. Pero, ¿Qué pasa con los productos de papel?

Debido al proceso de fabricación ―la mezcla de pulpa y el blanqueamiento― del papel, es difícil ligar a un producto de papel comprado en los Estados Unidos con un árbol talado ilegalmente en un bosque remoto. Miembros de la Alianza para la Legalidad Forestal y otros preguntan si es posible o no detectar violaciones a la Ley Lacey en productos de papel.

En colaboración con otros, WRI decidió echarle un vistazo a la situación.

La enmienda de la Ley Lacey en 2008:

Prohíbe la comercialización con los Estados Unidos, y dentro de sus límites territoriales, de cualquier producto fabricado con árboles y otras plantas que fueron extraídas en violación con las leyes del país de origen. Este tipo de productos abarcan productos de papel, madera y muebles;
Requiere que los importadores de productos vegetales declaren el país de origen de la materia prima del producto, el género y la especie de la planta, así como también el volumen y valor del producto (estos son los “requisitos de declaración”), y;
Establece penalidades por infracción, que abarcan el embargo de bienes y vehículos, multas de hasta US$500,000, y encarcelamiento por hasta cinco años.

Aunque los requisitos de declaración no aplican a productos de papel en este momento, la prohibición en la comercialización de productos de bosque de origen ilegal incluye productos de papel desde Mayo del 2008

Enviamos muestras de papel de 32 productos a un laboratorio independiente para analizar la fibra de los papeles. Las muestras que analizadas fueron de productos de papel tales como papelería de escritorio, bolsas de papel, cajas de cartón, papel higiénico, pañuelos de papel, papel para envolver, y libros–incluyendo páginas, cubiertas de papel brilloso, y cartón usado en las cubiertas duras. Todos los productos fueron comprados en tiendas y vendedores en los Estados Unidos.

Usando técnicas para analizar las fibras, los científicos usan microscópicos de alto poder para analizar las fibras y los vasos de xilema de un pedazo pequeño de papel para identificar qué tipo de árboles fueron usados para fabricar el papel. Los vasos en el xilema son estructuras vegetales que transportan nutrientes y agua en las plantas, y tienen rasgos anatómicos únicos que permiten identificar el género, y algunas veces la especie, de los árboles.

Los resultados son reveladores.

Los análisis de laboratorio identificaron vasos con rasgos anatómicos que son consistentes con los vasos de ramin (Gonystylus spp) en la página de un libro ilustrado, y en la cubierta de un libro para niños. Ambos libros fueron comprados de una entidad de venta en los Estados Unidos, publicados por una editorial de los Estados Unidos, pero fueron fabricados e importados directamente de Indonesia. Cada vez más escaso, ramin es un tipo de árbol que está protegido por la comunidad internacional desde 2003 a través de la Convención sobre el Comercio Internacional de Especies Amenazadas de Silvestres de Fauna y Flora (CITES por sus siglas en inglés). El gobierno de Indonesia ha impuesto una prohibición en la exportación de productos de ramin. En otras palabras, no debería de encontrarse ramin en productos de papel.

Los análisis de laboratorio también encontraron vasos consistentes con vasos de manglar (Rhizophora spp) en la cubierta de otro libro para niños. De acuerdo con bases de datos de importaciones/exportaciones este libro también fue fabricado en Indonesia. De acuerdo a leyes de protección costera, conservación, y de manejo de bosque de Indonesia, los árboles de mangle están protegidos y no se pueden cortar para usos industriales.

En base a estos resultados, la comercialización de estos tres libros podrían representar infracciones a la enmienda de la Ley Lacey de 2008. Esta enmienda prohíbe la comercialización en, y con, los Estados Unidos de productos fabricados con plantas que fueron extraídas en violación leyes internacionales o las leyes del país de origen. De acuerdo a la Ley Lacey, desde 2008 es ilegal importar, exportar, transportar, vender, recibir, o comprar este tipo de productos –incluyendo productos de celulosa y de papel—en los Estados Unidos. De acuerdo con la Ley Lacey, todas las entidades en la cadena de suministro de estos productos, abarcando importadores, casas editoriales, y vendedores, tienen una responsabilidad legal. Las penalidades por infracción a la Ley Lacey pueden abarcan la incautación de bienes, y multas de hasta US $500,000 dólares, y encarcelamiento.

Los resultados de los análisis demuestran que, gracias a la tecnología moderna, es posible detector posibles infracciones a la Ley Lacey en los productos de papel. Los resultados también podrían indicar que la prevalencia de madera talada ilegalmente en los productos de papel puede ser más común de lo que se piensa puesto que se detectó material sospechoso en 3 de los 32 productos analizados.

Los resultados también apuntan al posible uso de tecnología, por parte de terceros, para descubrir infracciones a la Ley Lacey. Algunas ONGs ya han empleado el análisis de fibras para determinar si los libros fueron fabricados usando madera proveniente de plantaciones, o de bosques tropicales naturales. Ahora sabemos que es estas organizaciones también pueden identificar especies ilegales.

En vista de lo anterior, ¿Qué pueden hacer las empresas en las cadenas de suministro de productos de papel para evitar el riesgo de comprar papel fabricado con materia prima ilegal?

Primero, y antes que nada, practique el cuidado debido. El “Cuidado Debido” es un aspecto central de la enmienda de la Ley Lacey. Es un concepto legal que implica el practicar un nivel de acción apropiado que una persona razonablemente prudente practicaría bajo las mismas circunstancias para minimizar el riesgo de comprar productos fabricados con materia prima obtenida o comercializada ilegalmente.

Algunos ejemplos de cuidado debido en términos de abastecimiento de productos de papel abarcan:

Haga preguntas. Haga preguntas a sus proveedores de productos de papel como: ¿Cómo es la cadena de suministro? ¿Puede rastrear el papel hasta los bisques donde se originó la materia prima?¿Cuál es el nivel de actividad ilegal en los bosques de la región de origen?¿Qué procesos existen para prevenir que materia prima de origen ilegal se incorpore en la cadena de suministro?
Evalúe el riesgo y responda apropiadamente. Determine el riesgo relativo asociado con el bosque donde se originó la materia prima. ¿Fuentes confiables sospechan que existen altos niveles de tala ilegal en la región? ¿Existen campañas, por parte de sectores de la sociedad civil, que indican una preocupación por los bosques de la región? Si es así, compare el riesgo de comprar, inadvertidamente, productos de papel ilegales con el nivel de aversión al riesgo que tiene su empresa. Si las respuestas de sus proveedores no son suficientes de acuerdo al nivel de tolerancia de riesgo que tiene su empresa, considere el cambiar de proveedores, o de abastecerse de productos que se originan en otra región.
Adopte una política de abastecimiento de productos de bosque exhaustiva. Implemente una política de abastecimiento de productos de bosque que refleje los valores y salvaguardas ambientales y sociales de su empresa. Estas políticas pueden convertirse en una base sólida para ejercer el cuidado debido. El entrenar a los empleados en relación a la política de abastecimiento, y el establecer sistemas e incentivos para el buen desempeño en la implementación de la política pueden reducir el riesgo de manera eficaz.
Compre productos de papel certificados. La tala legal de árboles es un requisito común de los programas de certificación por terceros. Por lo tanto, el comprar productos de papel certificado puede ser una forma de demostrar el ejercicio del cuidado debido. Sin embargo, nótese que la certificación per se no necesariamente significa que el papel fue fabricado con material prima de origen legal, especialmente si el sistema de verificación del programa de certificación no es sólido, y/o ocurre en países donde la gobernabilidad es débil. Bajo estas circunstancias, es posible que existan fibras de árboles talados ilegalmente en productos de papel que están certificados.
Haga periódicamente análisis de laboratorio. Envíe muestras de papel de los productos que compra para ser analizadas periódicamente. El hacer análisis periódicos puede ser útil para determinar que contienen los productos de papel que compra, y pueden descubrir fibras y materia prima de origen sospechoso. El análisis de laboratorio no es caro, y existen varios laboratorios independientes que proporcionan este tipo de servicio, por ejemplo:

Integrated Paper Services, Inc. (United States)
Institute for Paper Science and Technology, Darmstadt Technical University (Germany)
INNVENTIA (Sweden)
Econotech (Canada)

Como lo demuestran los análisis que ordenamos, los productos de papel no están libres de riesgo en términos de una infracción de la Ley Lacey de los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, hay cosas que se pueden hacer para reducir estos riesgos y demostrar que se practicó el cuidado debido… y no solamente en el papel.

Para mayor información sobre como ejercitar el cuidado debido en el abastecimiento de productos de bosque, por favor visite www.forestlegality.org.

Declarations and Due Care: Insights from Another Lacey Case

Craig Hanson — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:11:37 -0400

En Español

Enforcement of the amended Lacey Act has begun, both on and off the public radar. Here are tips on how to remain in compliance.

In November 2009, U.S. federal agents raided Gibson Guitar Corporation’s manufacturing facility in Nashville, Tennessee as part of an investigation into the illegal trade of a rare wood species allegedly used in some of Gibson’s musical instruments. Although the seizure made headlines, few people are aware that this was not the first enforcement of the 2008 amendments to the U.S. Lacey Act which banned commerce in illegal timber and paper products in the United States. There was one before it that has received little attention, until now.

A plank of tigrillo (Swartzia arborescens) on the left and of tigre caspi (Zygia cataractae) on the right. Photos: www.woodworkerssource.com

Five months earlier, agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service seized three pallets of tropical hardwood as they entered the Port of Tampa, Florida from Iquitos, Peru. Originating deep in the Amazon, the pallets contained numerous species of decorative woods, including tigrillo (Swartzia arborescens), palisangre (Brosimum rubescens), and tigre caspi (Zygia cataractae). Unlike the Gibson case, agents confiscated the wood on grounds that the shipment violated Lacey’s declaration requirements. The seizure was supported by substantial evidence that the exporter was using stolen and forged documents. [Details of the U.S. Department of Interior Decision are available here (PDF)]

It appears that the amended Lacey Act has teeth. Enforcement has begun, both on and off the public radar. This is a good development for the world’s forests and for all law-abiding businesses.

The century-old U.S. law has been an effective means of curtailing illegal wildlife trade. It was amended in 2008 to cover products made from trees and other plants. In effect since May 22, 2008, the law:

Learn More in our Lacey Act Fact Sheet

Prohibits trade into and within U.S. borders of any product made from trees or other plants that were logged or traded in violation of a law in the country of harvest. Products include paper, lumber, and furniture;
Requires importers of plant products to declare the country of harvest, the genus and species of the plant, as well as the product’s volume and value (this is the “declaration requirement”); and
Establishes penalties for violations, including forfeiture of goods and vessels, fines of up to $500,000, and prison terms of up to five years.

The seizure of Peruvian tropical hardwood provides several insights into enforcement of the amended Lacey Act and what one needs to do to remain in compliance, namely:

1. Take the declaration requirement seriously—the U.S. government does. Declarations are the first line of defense against the import of illegally harvested wood and other plant products. Because of this focus, it is important to correctly fill out your declaration forms.

2. Heed red flags. Peculiarities that arise in the course of a business transaction should trigger an importer or buyer to ask more questions about the product’s origin and legality and, if necessary, step away from the transaction. The Peru case had at least four peculiarities. First, this was the first time the buyer had imported from Peru, thus it was purchasing from an unfamiliar source market. Second, an exporter in Peru contacted the buyer out of the blue with wood to sell; the buyer did not initiate the deal. Third, prior to the transaction, the buyer had received an email indicating that the company supplying the material had suspended its business operations. Fourth, the supplier in Peru requested receiving payment via money order made directly to an individual, not a company. Red flags, anyone?

3. Demonstrate due care. At the core of the amended Lacey Act is the responsibility of each buyer—no matter where in the supply chain—to conduct “due care.” Due care is the legal term for exercising the level of appropriate action that would be taken by a reasonably prudent person under the same circumstances to minimize the risk of purchasing plant products that were harvested or traded illegally. The Office of the Solicitor stated that the buyer of the Peruvian wood “did not do all he could within his power to comply with regulations and ensure that the shipment was authorized by an export permit that properly documented the required information and was declared appropriately under the Lacey Act upon arrival to the United States.”

What could someone in the buyer’s position have done? Well, is this the first time you are buying wood or paper from a particular country? Then learn about the degree to which illegal logging is prevalent there and assess your comfort level with assuming this risk. Is this a new supplier? Then do your homework on it. Did you learn of problems affecting the supplier? Then probe further to understand the nature of the problems and the level of risk they pose to you. If this and other research still leaves you suspicious, find another supplier. Document your efforts in writing.

4. Be aware that there are many ways to detect Lacey violations. False declaration statements, satellite imagery of logging in protected areas, fiber testing to identify protected species in a sheet of paper, random wood inspections, and undercover investigations of illicit transactions are but a few of the ways people can detect violations of the Lacey Act. Two played an important role in the Peru case. First, on the declaration form, the buyer’s import broker classified the three pallets as containing finished wood products when, in fact, the pallets contained raw wood. This incorrect classification enabled the importer to avoid having to fill out more detail about the shipment since, at the time, full declarations for finished wood products had not been phased in. But a visual inspection can detect the difference. Second, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service received a tip in May 2009, based on substantial evidence, that a shipment of wood from Iquitos, Peru with stolen and forged documents was on its way to Tampa on the ship Yacu Puma. The “tipster” had become aware of the cargo when he received a bill from the shipper for a shipment that was not his. There are many “eyes and ears” out there, some from unsuspected places.

5. Manage your supply chain. Lacey Act violations can occur anywhere along the forest product supply chain. Thus the well worn adage “a chain is only as good as its weakest link” applies here too. In the Peru case, actions by the broker had ramifications for the buyer.

6. Ignorance is no excuse. In the words of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of the Solicitor involved in this case, “a company that specializes in international shipments should be well versed in the applicable laws that govern such transactions and should also be up to date on any amendments to the laws. The Lacey Act amendments were passed in 2008, giving the industry time to adjust and become familiar with the changes before enforcement began.”

One concluding insight is that there is a lot going on behind the scenes. This wood seizure occurred in June, 2009 but is now just coming into public light. How many more actions have occurred and how many investigations are currently underway that are still confidential for legal reasons? Nobody knows.

But what we do know is that the U.S. government has given the amended Lacey Act teeth.

For more information about how you can conduct due care when purchasing forest products, visit www.forestlegality.org.

En Español

Declaraciones y el Concepto de “Debido Cuidado”: Lecciones de Otro Caso Lacey

En noviembre del 2009, agentes del gobierno federal de los Estados Unidos hicieron una redada en la planta de fabricación de la empresa Gibson Guitar (Gibson Guitar Corporation) en Nashville, Tennessee. La redada formó parte de una investigación sobre el tráfico ilegal de una especie de madera rara que se alega fue usada en la fabricación de instrumentos musicales de la marca Gibson. Aunque este evento se convirtió en una noticia de primera plana, pocos saben que esta no fue la primera acción de aplicación de la Ley Lacey que, gracias a una enmienda en 2008, prohíbe la comercialización en los Estados Unidos de productos de madera y papel de origen ilegal. Hubo otra acción de aplicación que, hasta ahora, no ha recibido suficiente atención.

Tabla de tigrillo (Swartzia arborescens) (izquierda) y de tigre caspi (Zygia cataractae) (derecha). Fuente: www.woodworkerssource.com

Cinco meses antes de la redada en la fábrica de Gibson, agentes del Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) confiscaron tres palés de madera tropical dura cuando arribaron al puerto de Tampa, Florida, procedentes de Iquitos, Perú. Los palés contenían numerosas especies madereras ornamentales de árboles que viven en el corazón del Amazonas; estas especies abarcaban tigrillo (Swartzia arborescens), palisangre (Brosimum rubescens), y tigre caspi (Zygia cataractae). A diferencia del caso Gibson, los agentes del gobierno federal confiscaron la madera porque se encontró que la documentación del embarque violaba los requisitos de declaración que estipula la Ley Lacey. También había evidencia sólida de que el exportador estaba usando documentos robados y falsificados.

Parece ser que la enmienda de la Ley Lacey tiene garra. La aplicación de la Ley está ocurriendo tras bambalinas y en la escena pública. Estos acontecimientos son positivos para los bosques del mundo, y para los negocios que operan en cumplimiento con la ley.

La centenaria Ley Lacey de los Estados Unidos ha sido una herramienta eficaz para combatir el tráfico ilegal de vida silvestre. En el 2008 la Ley fue modificada para abarcar productos fabricados con árboles y plantas. La Ley entró en efecto el 22 de mayo de 2008 y:

Prohíbe la importación y comercialización en los Estados Unidos de cualquier producto que haya sido fabricado con árboles y otras plantas que hayan sido talados o comercializados infringiendo las leyes del país de origen. Los productos abarcan papel, madera, y muebles;
Requiere que los importadores de productos de origen vegetal declaren el país de donde la materia prima fue obtenida, el género y especie de la planta, y el volumen y valor del producto (estos son los “requisitos de declaración”); y
Establece penalidades por violaciones, abarcando embargo de bienes y vehículos de transporte, multas de hasta $500,000 dólares, y encarcelamiento de hasta cinco años.

El embargo de la madera dura tropical proveniente de Perú proporciona varias lecciones sobre la aplicación de la enmienda de la Ley Lacey, y acciones clave que son necesarias para cumplir con la ley, en especial:

Tomar en serio los requisitos de declaración, tal como lo hace el gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Las declaraciones de aduana constituyen la línea primordial de defensa para prevenir la importación de madera de origen ilegal, y de otros productos vegetales de origen ilegal. Debido a esto, es importante llenar correctamente los formularios de declaración.
Prestar atención a las señales de alerta o “red flags”. Hay una serie de hechos singulares que, si emergen durante el curso de una transacción de negocios, deberían de hacer que el importador o comprador haga más preguntas sobre el origen y la legalidad del producto y, si es necesario, suspenda la compra. En el caso de Perú hubo, por lo menos, cuatro rasgos. Para empezar, esta era la primera vez que el comprador importaba productos de Perú, y estaba comprando en un mercado con el que no estaba familiarizado. Segundo, un exportador en Perú contactó al comprador con la mercancía de manera inesperada; el comprador no inició la transacción de compra. Tercero, antes de la transacción, el comprador recibió un correo electrónico indicando que la empresa que estaba proporcionado la mercancía había suspendido sus operaciones. Cuarto, el proveedor en Perú solicitó que el pago se hicieran a través de giro postal, pago directo a un individuo, no a una empresa. ¿Se necesita más alertas?
Demostrar que se ejerció el cuidado debido. El aspecto central de la enmienda de la Ley Lacey es la responsabilidad que tiene cada uno de los compradores―sin importar a qué nivel se encuentren en la cadena de suministro―de ejercer el “cuidado debido.” El cuidado debido es un concepto legal que significa el tomar la(s) acción(es) apropiada(s) que una persona razonablemente prudente ejercitaría en circunstancias similares para minimizar el riesgo de compra de productos vegetales que fueron extraídos o comercializados ilegalmente. La Oficina del Abogado del Departamento del Interior que investigó el caso indicó que el comprador de la madera proveniente de Perú “no hizo todo lo que podía haber hecho para cumplir con las regulaciones y asegurarse de que el envío estaba autorizado por un permiso de exportación que documentaba apropiadamente la información requerida, y que contenía la declaración apropiada requerida por la Ley Lacey una vez que llegó a los Estados Unidos.”

¿Qué puede hacer alguien que se encuentra en una situación como esta? ¿Es la primera vez que está comprando productos de madera o papel en un país? Entonces infórmese sobre la prevalencia de la tala ilegal en el país, evalúe el riesgo y determine su nivel de confianza con dicho riesgo. ¿Está negociando con un proveedor nuevo? Averigüe más sobre el proveedor. ¿Está enterado de los problemas que tiene su proveedor? Entonces haga preguntas para entender mejor los problemas y evaluar el nivel de riesgo que puede representar para su negocio. Si después de todas estas averiguaciones existen sospechas, busque otro proveedor. Documente por escrito todos estos esfuerzos.

Sepa que existen muchas maneras de detectar violaciones de la Ley Lacey. Declaraciones falsas, uso de imágenes de satélite para detectar tala de árboles en áreas protegidas, análisis de papel para identificar el uso de fibras de especies protegidas, inspecciones aleatorias de la madera, e investigaciones con operaciones encubiertas son algunas de las muchas maneras que pueden ser usadas para detectar violaciones a la Ley Lacey. Hubo dos elementos de este tipo que fueron importantes en el caso de Perú. Primero, en la clasificación de tipo de producto en el formulario de la declaración, el agente de importaciones del comprador declaró que los palés contenían productos de madera terminados cuando en realidad contenían madera en bruto. Con esta clasificación incorrecta, el importador se evitó agregar más detalles sobre el embarque porque, en ese tiempo, el requisito de declaración de la Ley Lacey para productos terminados no había entrado en efecto. Sin embargo, la inspección visual puede detectar estas diferencias. Segundo, en mayo 2009 el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos recibió un aviso, basado en evidencia sólida, de un envío de madera en la embarcación Yacu Puma, proveniente de Iquitos, Perú, y con destino a Tampa, que tenía documentación robada y falsificada. La persona que dio el aviso se enteró de la existencia del envío porque recibió una factura de la compañía naviera por un envío que su empresa no había hecho. Hay “muchos ojos y oídos,” y algunos están en lugares inesperados.
Gestione su cadena de suministro. Las violaciones a la Ley Lacey pueden ocurrir en cualquier punto a lo largo de la cadena de suministro de los productos de bosque. El dicho “la fortaleza de una cadena depende del eslabón más débil” (“a chain is only as strong as its weakest link”) se aplica en este caso. En el caso de Perú, las acciones del agente de importaciones tuvieron ramificaciones para el comprador.
La ignorancia no es una excusa. Usando las palabras de la Oficina del Abogado del Departamento del Interior de los Estados Unidos, para este caso, “una empresa que se especializa en hacer envíos internacionales debería conocer bien las leyes relevantes que gobiernan este tipo de transacciones, y debería estar actualizada con cualquier enmienda que se haga a dichas leyes. La enmienda de la Ley Lacey se aprobó en 2008, dándole a la industria el tiempo suficiente para ajustarse y familiarizarse con los cambios antes de que comenzara el cumplimiento.”

Una conclusión final es que hay muchas cosas ocurriendo tras bambalinas. El embargo de esta madera ocurrió en Junio 2009, pero apenas está saliendo a la luz pública. ¿Qué otras acciones han ocurrido? y ¿Cuántas otras investigaciones hay en curso que todavía son confidenciales por razones legales? Nadie lo sabe.

Lo que sí sabemos es que el Gobierno de los Estados Unidos le ha dado garra a la enmienda de la Ley Lacey.

Para mayor información sobre cómo se puede conducir el cuidado debido en la compra de productos forestales, visite el sitio de Internet www.forestlegality.org.

NEWS RELEASE: Global Alliance Launched to Curb Trade in Illegal Wood

Jessica Forres — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:19:37 -0400

The Forest Legality Alliance was launched today to support private sector efforts and policies to reduce trade in illegally harvested wood. The Alliance is a global public-private initiative open to businesses, industry associations, financial institutions and civil society organizations with a stake in legal forest product supply chains.

Joining the World Resources Institute (WRI), the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA-U.S.) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Alliance are the American Forest & Paper Association, the Hardwood Federation, IKEA, the International Wood Products Association, NewPage Corporation, the Retail Industry Leaders’ Association, Staples Inc., and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

“Some companies are not aware of the need to ask questions about the wood they are buying or the consequences of letting illegal wood enter their supply chains,” said Craig Hanson, director of WRI’s People and Ecosystems Program. “The Alliance seeks to build confidence that imported wood and paper products are legal. Done right, trade supports environmental protection and the Alliance recognizes the role trade plays in protecting our world’s great forests.”

Responsible forest management delivers renewable raw material for a wide range of products, such as timber and paper. It also provides livelihoods for millions of people and contributes to preserving biodiversity.

In many regions, however, illegal logging is having unsustainable impacts. Much of the illegal logging taking place is directly connected to land conversion activities, for instance, when forests are cleared to make room for agriculture and ranching activities. This illegal logging contributes to deforestation, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions, deprives nations of much needed public revenue, and can lead to social conflict and human rights violations.

Any illegal wood from these activities that makes its way into international trade creates an unlevel playing field for the private sector, allowing a few bad actors to put companies with legal operations at an unfair disadvantage. It also affects poor, rural residents in developing countries who rely on forests for food, fuel, and other benefits.

In response, major wood importing regions are enacting policies to reduce demand for illegal wood. In 2008, the U.S. government amended the Lacey Act to prohibit trade within the United States of products made from illegally harvested wood. With this amendment, the United States became the first country to ban imports of illegal wood and related products.

The European Union is in the final stages of approving a “due diligence” regulation to curb illegal timber entering the European market, and Australia is also considering legislation to prohibit trade in illegal wood.

“From musical instruments to textbooks, legislation in the United States and abroad is fundamentally changing how wood and everything that is made from wood is traded and produced,” said Sascha von Bismarck, executive director of EIA in Washington, D.C. “Suppliers unaware of these emerging policies could face financial repercussions in addition to reputational risk. The Alliance will work to provide businesses and civil society groups the information they need to avoid risks and create change in the world’s forests.”

The Alliance will ensure that importers and supply chains know and understand the emerging new trade policies. It will develop new online resources that help companies assess the risk of encountering illegal wood, conduct due care, and complete import declarations. It will work with suppliers to document best practices and unforeseen challenges associated with purchasing legal wood and complying with import regulations. It will focus on the capacity for legal trade in the sector as a whole, rather than on the performance of individual companies, and complement existing initiatives that certify legality and sustainability.

“USAID is pleased to be a central partner in the Forest Legality Alliance,” said James Hester, director of the USAID’s Office of Natural Resources Management. “Eliminating illegal wood from supply chains will help developing country producers compete in developed country markets while maintaining biodiversity in their forests and strengthening forest governance.”

USAID helped catalyze the formation of this new partnership under its Global Development Alliance initiative which seeks to leverage the resources, expertise, creativity and market access of corporations, industry associations, civil society organizations and others to jointly address pressing development challenges around the world.

For more information on the Alliance, please visit www.forestlegality.org.

MEDIA ADVISORY: WRI Hosts Briefing on New Initiative to Curb Illegal Wood Trade

Jessica Forres — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:11:28 -0400

WHAT:

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), leading environmental experts and industry leaders will brief journalists next Wednesday on a new initiative to curb trade in illegal wood. The event, moderated by Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute (WRI), will launch the Forest Legality Alliance (FLA), a global initiative to help companies remove illegal wood from their supply chains and reduce reputational risks. Panelists will also discuss new laws to combat illegal logging, including the amended U.S. Lacey Act.

The initiative is spearheaded by WRI, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The founding alliance members are the American Forest & Paper Association, the Hardwood Federation, IKEA, the International Wood Products Association (IWPA), NewPage Corporation, the Retail Industry Leaders’ Association, Staples Inc., and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Spokespeople from each organization will be available for interviews following the event.

WHO:
Jonathan Lash, president, WRI
Earl Blumenauer, congressman, Oregon
Allan Thornton, president, EIA
Mark Suwyn, chairman, NewPage Corporation
Brent McClendon, executive vice president, IWPA
Alexandria L. Panehal, acting deputy assistant administrator, Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, USAID

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
(Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.)

WHERE:
World Resources Institute
10 G Street NE Suite 800, Washington, DC 20002
(Metro: Red Line to Union Station)

Call-in Details
1-800-610-4500 (Toll Free in USA and Canada)
1-702-851-3339 (for callers outside USA and Canada)
Passcode: 5184429

Live Webcast: http://www.wri.org/news/webcasts
Email questions to Camilo Ramirez at cramirez@wri.org

RSVP: Jessica Forres, WRI media officer, +1(202)729-7736, jforres@wri.org

Is Your Company Prepared for the Lacey Act?

Adam Grant — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:59:07 -0500

A recent U.S. government raid on illegally sourced wood is a wake-up call to businesses.

On November 17, 2009, U.S. federal agents raided Gibson Guitar Corporation’s manufacturing facility in Nashville, Tennessee. The raid was part of an investigation into the illegal trade of a rare wood species allegedly used in some of Gibson’s renowned musical instruments.

According to press reports, agents purportedly seized wood, guitars, and documents in the first known enforcement action under the recently amended Lacey Act. Widely covered in the media, the raid is a wake-up call to businesses that are part of forest product supply chains that they need to heed the Lacey Act and avoid illegally sourced wood and paper.

Illegal logging – timber harvesting that breaks a country’s national laws - squanders approximately US $15 billion of assets and revenue for developing nations each year and is a driver of deforestation. As the single largest consumer and importer of forest products, the United States has the capacity to reduce illegal logging practices on a global scale.

On May 22, 2008, the U.S. Congress passed a landmark amendment to the 100 year-old Lacey Act, originally enacted to prohibit the transportation of illegally captured animals or wildlife products across state lines. The new law extended this protection to plants - including timber, paper, and other forest products - thereby giving the U.S. government a powerful tool to eliminate illegally sourced wood and increase transparency in the global forest product supply chain.

The November Gibson raid is the first high profile amended Lacey Act investigation, demonstrating that the U.S. government is taking illegal logging seriously - and that companies in both the United States and abroad need to already be in compliance.

In partnership with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), the World Resources Institute (WRI) has released a Lacey Act fact sheet designed to answer some frequently asked questions about the Lacey Act.

The four-page fact sheet, Are You Ready for the Lacey Act?, provides companies with answers and counsel on a suite of issues, including:

What does the Lacey Act entail?
What is considered “illegal” under the amended Lacey Act?
What risks do buyers, traders, and sellers of wood, paper, and other forest products face if they violate the Lacey Act?
What can companies do to avoid becoming the subject of a Lacey Act investigation?
Does certification mean that a forest product is exempt or already in compliance with the amended Lacey Act?

For more information, download the fact sheet, or contact:

Adam Grant, Senior Associate, WRI, agrant@wri.org, (202) 729-7623
Lars Laestadius, Senior Associate, WRI, larsl@wri.org, (202) 729-7633
Anne Middleton, Outreach Coordinator, EIA, anne@eia-international.org, (202) 483-6621

Fact Sheet: Are You Ready for the Lacey Act?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:58:43 -0500

What is the Lacey Act and how can companies comply? This fact sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions.

Download Fact Sheet:
English | Chinese | Español | Português

On November 17, 2009, U.S. federal agents raided Gibson Guitar Corp.’s Nashville, Tennessee manufacturing facility. The raid was part of an investigation into the illegal trade of a rare wood species allegedly used in some of Gibson’s renowned musical instruments. According to press reports, agents seized wood, guitars, and documents in the first known enforcement action under the recently amended Lacey Act. Widely covered in the media, the raid is a wake-up call to all businesses that are part of forest product supply chains that they need to heed the Lacey Act. What is the Lacey Act? What risks do buyers, traders, and sellers of wood, paper, and other forest products face if they violate it? What can companies do to avoid becoming the subject of a Lacey Act investigation? This fact sheet provides some answers to these and related questions.

1. What is the U.S. Lacey Act and why is it important?

On May 22, 2008, the U.S. Congress passed a groundbreaking law banning commerce in illegally sourced plants and their products—including timber, wood, and paper products. The new law is an amendment to the Lacey Act of 1900, named after the congressman who first championed it. While the Lacey Act has long been one of the most powerful tools for U.S. agencies fighting wildlife crime, its potential to combat illegal logging remained untapped. Now the Lacey Act sets a precedent for the global trade in plants and plant products, acknowledging and supporting the efforts of other countries to govern their own natural resources and putting in place powerful incentives for companies trading in these commodities to do the same.

2. What does the law do to address illegal logging?

To address illegal logging and other illegal plant trade, the amended Lacey Act does three main things:

Prohibits all trade in plants and plant products—including furniture, paper, and lumber—that are illegally sourced from any U.S. state or foreign country;
Requires importers to declare the country of origin of harvest and species name of all plants contained in their products (a provision that is currently being phased in); and
Establishes penalties for violations of the law, including forfeiture of goods and vessels, fines, and jail time.

3. When does the amended Lacey Act go into effect?

The amended Lacey Act has been in effect since May 22, 2008. Companies or persons caught with illegally sourced wood or plant products can now be prosecuted and have their goods confiscated. The declaration requirement of the Lacey Act is being phased in by product type. Throughout this phase-in process, enforcement of the act’s prohibition on trade in illegally sourced plant and plant products is already in effect for all types of products, whether or not they are on the phase-in schedule.

4. What is “illegal” under the amended Lacey Act?

There are two components to a violation of the Lacey Act. First, a plant must be taken, harvested, possessed, transported, sold, or exported in violation of a relevant underlying law in any foreign country or the United States. This constitutes an illegally sourced plant. Second, a person or company must trade this illegally sourced plant in U.S. interstate or foreign commerce—in the act’s words, one must “import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase.” It is only this second transaction that triggers a violation of the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act does not impose U.S. law on other countries. “Illegally sourced” is defined by the content of a sovereign nation’s own laws. The law applies equally to plants taken, harvested, transported, or exported in violation of the relevant laws of any U.S. state, territory, or tribal government, as well.

5. What are some examples of an amended Lacey Act violation?

Examples of Lacey Act violations include, but are not limited to:

A company in the United States imports a shipment of wood fl ooring from country X made from timber that had been harvested without valid permits in country Y;
A company in the United States purchases paper made from pulp sourced via illegal logging practices in country Y;
An exporter purposefully mislabels a shipment to the United States as a less valuable species in order to avoid higher tariffs; and
A veneer importer does not identify the correct country (or potential countries) of harvest origin for the species used.

6. How pervasive is illegal logging?

Illegal logging occurs in all regions of the world. Examples include timber theft; logging in a national park or protected area; logging CITES-listed species (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) without a permit; failure to pay taxes or tariffs on a shipment of logs; and taking logs without proper authorization. The extent of illegal logging varies dramatically by exporting country and species; in some countries, it is as high as 60–80 percent of harvested wood. An estimated 10 percent of annual wood imports into the United States is of illegal origin.

7. What are the penalties under the amended Lacey Act?

Lacey Act civil and criminal penalties vary according to how much the company or individual knew about the crime, as well as the value of the good or shipment in question. Figure 1 describes the general categories and potential penalties.

8. What can a company do to comply with the amended Lacey Act?

It is each company’s responsibility to exercise “due care” and understand the origin of its forest products, keeping in mind that a Lacey violation can occur at almost any point in a forest product supply chain. To help improve compliance, a company could:

Ask its suppliers questions, such as: What are your supply chains? Can you trace them all the way back to the forest? What is the degree of illegal activity in that forest or region? Do you have proper documentation?
Institute internal policies and procedures to track forest products. Available options may include barcode or other tracing systems, legality verification, third-party certification, stepwise programs offered by various organizations, or other public-private partnership models designed to help companies manage procurement of forest products.
Use a robust risk management system to assess risk of illegality. Exercise extra care when procuring forest products from regions with known or suspected high rates of illegal logging. The Lacey Act is a fact-based rather than a document-based statute. If imported products turn out to be of illegal origin de facto, this fact will override any statement or document to the contrary. Illegal products are often accompanied by forged documents. Therefore, evaluating your suppliers and developing trust in them and the forest products they provide is as important as obtaining physical papers. Means of evaluation can include:
Conducting independent research on suppliers via on-line sources and your business contacts;
Establishing long-term relationships rather than buying on spot markets;
Consistently questioning your suppliers about the origin of their products and documenting their answers; and
Making supplier and forest site visits if possible.

9. Does certification mean that a forest product is exempt or already in compliance with the amended Lacey Act?

Third-party sustainable forestry certification and legality verification systems are very good approaches for demonstrating “due care.” They help demonstrate to both governments and customers that you have taken proactive steps to eliminate illegal wood or plant material from your supply chain. However, certification and verification are not required by the Lacey Act, do not serve as “get-out-of-jail free” cards, and do not relieve importers of the requirement to submit appropriate import declaration information to APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of USDA) or U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

10. Of what value is the scientific name (genus and species) of plant products in the declaration requirement?

Scientific names of plant species are a means of obtaining precise information about the forest product being purchased. Relying on common species names is imprecise, as a single species may have a wide variety of commercial or country-specific common names. Conversely, many distinct species may share the same common name. Buyers who do not know the scientific name cannot be sure whether or not they are violating CITES or other laws that protect endangered species.

11. Is the best strategy simply to stop sourcing from high risk countries?

Not necessarily. Examples of good and bad logging practices exist in every country. Certain high-value species and countries with long track records of illegal logging clearly warrant particular vigilance, but that means “do your homework,” not necessarily “stay away.” Businesses with good practices in such countries should be rewarded. The U.S. government will not be creating an official list of “high-risk” countries. No matter from which country you source, including the United States or Canada, you should know as much as possible about the wood material’s origin.

12. Where can I learn more?

For more information, visit www.eia-global.org/lacey or www.sustainableforestprods.org. Or contact:

Anne Middleton, Forest Campaign Outreach Coordinator, Environmental Investigation Agency, anne@eia-international.org, +1 202 483 6621
Adam Grant, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute, adam.grant@wri.org, +1 202 729 7623

Download Fact Sheet: English | Chinese | Español | Português

DRC Forest Title Conversion Process Results

Tim Herzog — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:29:22 -0400

In 2005, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched a comprehensive process to review historical logging titles and bring them into compliance with its recently enacted Forest Code to promote sustainable forest management. That process resulted in the conversion of 65 of the 156 titles reviewed, accounting for 10 of 22 million hectares. The remaining 91 titles, representing 12 million hectares, were deemed illegal and subject to cancellation: a huge step of progress for sustainable forest management in the DRC.

This map shows the results of the title conversion process. Areas in orange represent “converted” concessions deemed admissible under the new regime. Areas in gray show inadmissible concessions subject to cancellation. Protected areas are shown in green.

Expanded Guide Links Business Payoffs and Sustainable Forest Management

Ruth Nogueron — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:53:10 -0400

WRI and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development today released an updated online guide to help corporate buyers ensure the sustainability of their wood- and paper-based products.

Tools to support the sustainable procurement of products abound, as governments, NGOs, and other groups seek to address deforestation and forest degradation through the marketplace and combat climate change. However, the growing number of tools can be confusing and overwhelming for many companies.

One year ago, WRI and the WBCSD joined forces to launch an information and decision-making tool to assist readers in developing and implementing sustainable procurement policies for forest products. The report, Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products, addresses the top 10 questions that corporate procurement managers should ask when purchasing forest-based products. Among other topics, the Guide covers issues such as product legality, sustainability and climate change implications. The report also includes a “guide to the guides,” which helps companies steer through the maze of resources that have emerged to aid sustainable procurement.

The 2009 online update of this guide includes the characterization of 13 additional resources and a comprehensive list of publicly available private sector procurement policies and the issues they cover. This updated, practical guide will help business leaders define and implement economically sound and environmentally friendly purchasing policies, while simultaneously promoting sustainable forest management.

Recent studies estimate that more than 7.3 million hectares of trees are lost each year to deforestation, primarily caused by permanent conversion to crop and grazing land, especially in developing countries. This uniquely human activity now accounts for 15-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Governments around the world have taken consequent actions to curb deforestation and illegal timber trade – exemplified by last year’s amendment to the US Lacey Act and the recent decision by the European Parliament to adopt tighter rules to keep illegal timber off of the EU market.

Accordingly, companies and their consumers are increasingly more sensitive to the legality of their products and their effect on climate change. The sustainable procurement of forest products can therefore help companies reduce their reputation risk and, at the same time, encourage environmentally friendly business practices up and down their supply chain.

WRI and the WBCSD are committed to annual updates of this important guide. The first Guide gave buyers an important overview of the business payoffs and environmental benefits achieved through sustainable purchasing. This new edition builds on that success, providing companies with an updated virtual Rolodex of the information and tools currently available to protect their operations and the planet.

Co-author James Griffiths is Managing Director of WBCSD’s Ecosystems Focus Area, Water Project and Sustainable Forest Products Industry.

WRI, EIA Form Partnership to Stem Illegal Forest Products Imported Into U.S.

Paul Mackie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:18:43 -0500

The World Resources Institute and the Environmental Investigation Agency today launch a partnership to combat illegal logging worldwide and clean up timber supply chains.

The partnership focuses on the 100-year old Lacey Act, which was recently amended to include plant products - including timber and wood.

“The Lacey Act, if enforced, has the potential to send a powerful signal around the world that the U.S. is serious about curtailing illegal logging. Increasingly, illegal logging and deforestation contribute to climate change,” said Jonathan Lash, president of WRI.

Signed into law by President William McKinley, the Lacey Act has been a powerful tool used by the U.S. to battle wildlife trafficking by prohibiting the transportation of illegally captured animals or wildlife products across state lines. The new amendment extends this protection to plants and their derivative products, including items ranging from lumber and wood furniture to paper and sporting goods.

“The bill marks the first time that a major consuming country has made the trade in illegally logged wood a crime. It provides a precedent-setting tool to change the face of a $1 trillion industry, reduce deforestation, and improve forestry governance,” said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director at EIA.

Proposed in 2007 by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), with co-sponsorship by President-elect Barack Obama, the bill received widespread backing from a broad coalition of environmental, industry, and labor groups, led by the EIA.

The WRI-EIA partnership will support the coalition by delivering objective and timely information to governments and the private sector to facilitate adherence to Lacey Act requirements. The Lacey Act allows the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute if a product is produced in violation of the relevant laws of the country of origin and is brought into the United States.

“The WRI-EIA partnership will provide companies and government officials with FAQ sheets, forest information reports, and procurement guides. These will help them ask important questions to ensure their producers and importers trade in legally-sourced products,” said Dr. Lars Laestadius, senior associate at WRI.

“The U.S. is the world’s largest market for forest products,” said David Bonistall, vice president, Environmental, Health & Safety at NewPage. “The Lacey Act is monumental in that it could domino into other countries and increase transparency within the global wood market, ultimately enhancing the reputation of forest products as a sustainable material.”

“The Lacey Act will protect the forest-products industry’s global reputation by helping eliminate illegal logging, which in some places is carried out by organized crime, spreading violence and deforestation in some developing countries,” added Cassie Phillips, vice president, Sustainable Forests and Products at Weyerhaeuser. “It will cost the global industry economically, but we will all gain in the longer term as illegally sourced wood is removed from the marketplace.”

WRI’s partnership with the EIA arrives at the right time. December 6 is the official “forest day” for delegates at the United Nations climate conference in Poland, where WRI and EIA will both be holding events about the links between deforestation and climate change. Also, the first public comment period on issues relating to implemetation of the Lacey Act, which went into effect on May 22, ends December 8.