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US hardwood council backs EU timber regulations

The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), an international trade association for the American hardwood industry, has announced its support and endorsement of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which came into effect in March this year and aims to eradicate illegal timber trade within the EU. Sources: Zawya, Timberbiz

Significantly, the EC Guidance on EUTR has approved the Seneca Creek Assessment as the basis for EUTR conformance with U.S. hardwoods.

As the representative trade association of one of the world’s largest hardwood lumber exporting counties, AHEC has a considerable stake in eradicating illegal wood from trade.

A major concern for AHEC is that neither the value nor the reputation of legally harvested products is undermined in world markets by competing products from illicit sources.

“A key strength of the EUTR is that while it establishes tough sanctions for any failures in due diligence, it is flexible on the mechanisms by which legality may be demonstrated. This responds to the reality of complex international supply chains and highly variable regulatory systems in timber supplying countries,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.

In the case of US hardwoods, EUTR conformance is satisfied through the comprehensive ‘Assessment of Lawful Harvesting & Sustainability of US Hardwood Exports’ commissioned by AHEC and undertaken by Seneca Creek Associates, a team comprised of well-regarded and independent analysts and experts in the field of US forest policy and forest certification.

The Seneca Creek team compiled detailed information on the scope, effectiveness and enforcement of federal, state, and local regulatory programs across all the US hardwood producing states.

The EC Guidance on EUTR indicates that credible third party studies like the Seneca Creek assessment, and independent sources such as the FSC Risk Register, where these demonstrate negligible risk of illegal logging in specific regions or for specific product groups, are an
appropriate form of documentation for EU importers to meet their legal obligations.

While the EUTR places the due diligence obligation firmly on the importer, AHEC has prepared specific guidance for AHEC Members to ensure that US hardwood exporters are fully briefed on the EUTR obligations and therefore better able to assist their EU customers.

The guidance has been prepared drawing on active participation in the process to develop EUTR over the last five years, meetings with European Commission and EU Member State officials, and close analysis of the EUTR and supporting documentation.

“The EU now needs to move forward and commit sufficient resources for consistent communication and effective enforcement of EUTR. It is clearly a very significant challenge to successfully roll out a complex and untried piece of legislation across tens of thousands of operators in the EU.

“However, if properly enforced, the EUTR should play a major role to level the playing field for responsible suppliers of timber into the EU. The EUTR is also an opportunity for the wood industry to move beyond fire-fighting negative publicity surrounding illegal logging and to build more proactive communication efforts demonstrating the strong environmental credentials of wood compared to non-wood materials,” said Wiles.