The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has commissioned a major assessment study in response to a growing need for independently verified evidence of the legal sourcing of US hardwoods.
AHEC consulted widely before commissioning the survey, including procurement officials in Europe and representatives of the main certification schemes.
It said both the government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes had provided assurances that the study would meet their requirements for verified, legal “non controversial” timber.
The study, to be carried out by Seneca Creek Associates, coincides with the introduction of a bill in the US Senate designed to combat illegal logging.
AHEC’s European director David Venables said the study would supplement existing evidence of the legality of US hardwoods. It could also be used as a model for establishing legality in other countries.
“The results of this study, together with existing evidence, will provide us with the knowledge and independently verified data that is being increasingly required,” he said.
“At the heart of this initiative is the determination of the American hardwood industry to set high standards of transparency in the international wood trade.”
Further initiatives on sustainability are also being discussed, he added.
The study results, due out by the end of 2007, are expected to include maps showing the level of risk by US state and individual eco-regions which make up the US hardwood resource.
