Tracing the world’s timber: the status of scientific verification technologies for species and origin identification

Tracing the world’s timber: the status of scientific verification technologies for species and origin identification

August 11, 2022

Results of this newly published study show that for species identification, reference data exist for 100% of taxa using wood anatomy, 86% using genetics, 41% for using DART TOFMS, and 6% using NIRS. For origin identification, data exist for 24% of taxa, with most studies applying genetic approaches (23%).

Tropical timber forensics: A multi-methods approach to tracing Bolivian “Cedrela”

November 29, 2018

Network, Timber tracking, University

Illegal logging is one of the main drivers of species degradation and contributors to global warming. This practice negatively impacts forest stakeholders at international and local level. Effective control strategies are required to counteract illegal harvesting and trade of tropical timber. Stable isotopes, chemical properties, and DNA are non-manipulative tree characteristics and […]

Timber tracking and trade in South America – a report from GTTN’s Regional Workshop in Peru

November 26, 2018

Governmental organisation, Network, NGO, Research institute, Timber tracking, University

Between November 7 and 9, the GTTN Secretariat organized the Regional Workshop for Latin America in Lima, Perú. Over 70 representatives from academia, law enforcement agencies, customs, international organizations and NGOs actively participated in the different sessions. The workshop brought together stakeholders who do usually not communicate: a nature protection […]

Wageningen: Two PhD candidates in for tropical timber tracing

October 5, 2018

Network, Timber tracking, University

The Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group (part of the Environmental Sciences Group) of Wageningen University is looking for two highly motivated PhD candidates with the following qualifications: • An MSc degree in a relevant field, including: biology, forest & nature conservation, plant sciences or wood sciences • Affinity with […]

Towards a strategic collaboration with timber producing countries

July 9, 2018

Governmental organisation, Network, Research institute, Timber tracking, University

A report from GTTN’s Regional Workshop in Africa To increase awareness amongst African stakeholders from the field of research, government and non-governmental institutions, development partners, and the private sector about the Global Timber Tracking Network (GTTN), and the growing potential of timber tracking techniques to help curb illegal logging in […]

GTTN closed workshop: “How to combine timber tracking tools and secure reliable species and origin identification”

June 12, 2018

GTTN supports a pilot study on Sapelli, a tropical tree species from which reference data developed with different timber identification methods are already available (DNA, stable isotopes, DART TOFMS). The meeting in Wageningen will be a closed (invitation only) workshop with those experts who developed reference data on Sapelli and […]

Brush up on timber identification via DNA and stable isotopes

March 1, 2018

Network, Timber tracking, University

Approximately 30-90% of all tropical hardwood is harvested illegally. Paper fraud is still a crucial factor in ineffective timber tracking. Researchers from the Department of Forest Ecology and Forest Management of Wageningen University succeeded in developing a method to effectively determine illegal timber. Genetic wood characteristics are excellent indicators for determining […]