A new strategy aimed at monitoring the supply chain of timber products using genetic and stable isotope markers will play a vital role in international efforts to combat illegal logging. Source: CIFOR Forests Blog
Scientists, policy analysts and forestry experts gathered at a workshop in Malaysia to lay the groundwork for the project.
The Global Timber Tracking Network (GTTN), coordinated by Bioversity International as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry, is leading efforts to promote the use of innovative control tools based on the application of DNA and stable isotope research to identify timber species and trace their origins.
“Genetic data provides a level of evidence that you can’t contest. Because the DNA is in every cell of wood, you can’t falsify that data,” said Andrew Lowe, professor of plant conservation biology at the University of Adelaide in Australia.
“The database we’re setting up will serve as an important resource for providing checks on the forestry industry.”
The Global Timber Tracking Network (GTTN) aims to create a global database featuring genetic and stable isotope markers for commonly traded timber species, a landmark tool designed to reinforce certification standards and legislation and to complement existing paper-based documentation that can be easily falsified.
The GTTN database will allow importers to verify the precise species and origin of wood and wood products and provide tangible proof that the products were genuinely derived from a sustainably managed forest or other legally harvested timber.
Ta Ann owns and operates a processing mill in Tasmania that produced 130,450 cubic metres of veneer last year.
Last year, Ta Ann raised the sale of its eco-friendly floor base products to 46 per cent of its overall plywood sales from 27 per cent in 2010.
