A WWF report claims the UK is the fifth biggest importer of illegal timber from Russia.
The study, “Illegal logging in Northwestern Russia”, calculates that 75% of Russian wood comes from the north-west regions, of which 25% is estimated to be illegally felled. It says the UK alone imported close to 550,000m3 of wood from the country in 2002 – more than other European neighbours such as France and Italy.
Francis Sullivan, director of conservation at WWF UK, called on major importers to urge their suppliers to fulfil the basic requirements for a responsible and legal timber trade. Many Russian companies are already taking part in the WWF co-ordinated Producer Group, a network of forest managers offering a stepwise approach to achieving responsible forestry.
Dr Penny Bienz, head of environmental affairs at the Timber Trade Federation, said: “The industry is aware of the problem and individuals are active in addressing it.”
She said the Russian forestry ministry had a role to play by providing strong policies and governance.
Dr Bienz added there was concern in the UK of illegal Russian timber entering Scandinavian mills and ending up in Britain. One Finnish company has told her that several large companies are looking to address the issue with chain of custody projects from Russian suppliers.
