This August the US taught Vietnamese suppliers the new terms of the Lacey Act in workshops in Hanoi. The event took place as a worldwide crackdown on the illegal timber trade got underway.

The Lacey Act is a piece of US legislation which was introduced in 1900 to prevent the transportation of illegally captured wildlife across state lines. Its most recent amendment came in June 2008 when Congress agreed to extend the Act to timber products. It is the first law of its kind to prohibit the import, sale or trade of illegally harvested wood into the United States. Companies importing timber products will now need their Asian suppliers to understand their role in ensuring compliance with the revised regulations.

The WWF made a major contribution to the event by involving their Global Forest and Trade Network. Their co-organisers included the US Ministry of Agriculture and Development and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The revised legislation comes at the same time the EU is voting on a law to crackdown on the illegal timber trade. Financial and judicial penalties can now be attached to those who flout the rules. Ha Cong Tuan, the Vietnamese Directorate of Forestry Deputy General Director announced his full support of the legislation and his plan to follow by EU example. Research suggests that around 40% of the world’s wood production is sourced from illegally logged forests.

Vietnam is the largest trader in US furniture and aims to sustain and expand its share through better management of the timber trade. The country is set to make around $3 billion from furniture exports this year. Cooperating in tackling illegal logging will benefit Vietnamese producers, because as demand increases, Vietnam can gain market access by increasing its supply of legitimate timber products.

Visit the timber suppliers Oregon Canadian for a range of softwood timber products.