Around 9% of Australian timber imports worth A$400m could be from illegal logging activities, according to a federal government report.
The department of agriculture, fisheries and forestry described the figures, which include wooden furniture, as concerning. But it said illegal logging was a complex problem which countries were working together to solve.
The National Association of Forest Industries wants to see greater use of domestic timber and more countries joining Australia’s certification scheme.
It believes illegal imports could have a major impact on the domestic timber industry, by reducing the level of legal and sustainable wood supplied from Australian forests.
The government plans to work with timber importers and Asia-Pacific countries to help solve the problem, as well as develop new markets and opportunities for domestic timber.
