Timber traceability – A management tool for governments

FAO, WRI

Timber traceability – A management tool for governments

Case studies from Latin America

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 102 p.

Author FAO, WRI

Publisher FAO ; World Resources Institute (WRI) ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-135864-1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) There are growing demands for countries to develop national timber traceability systems. These demands range from a country’s own needs to track timber and collect associated revenues consistently, to international demands for due diligence regarding the legality of the timber for imports, and in some cases where a country has entered into a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU. In response, many countries have made considerable efforts to develop national systems which track timber flow from producer through processing, to the point of sale, and there are different approaches and tools available for doing this. This report aims to document lessons and best practices in the planning of government-led timber traceability systems in Latin America to provide a reference for government officials in other countries who are tasked with developing and implementing similar systems. It also seeks to help other audiences recognize that traceability is global trend and is becoming a new norm for conducting business and trade in international wood markets. The report focuses on experiences in Latin America where governments have proactively implemented traceability systems and demonstrated a relatively high capacity in doing so, leveraging technologies and equipment to respond to the unique needs of their countries. As many of these of systems are modular, successful and relevant elements can easily be transferred from one context to another and adapted to suit the needs of those tasked with designing similar systems.

Last updated 21/12/2022,Corrigendum

Cite this content as:

FAO and WRI. 2022. Timber traceability – A management tool for governments. Case studies from Latin America. Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb8909en

Read on Google Books and buy online

Language English

Also available in:

Spanish

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
Benin: Government agency blazes a trail for traceability 2017

Also available in:

French
Spanish

Tracing wood back to the forest it came from is essential to eliminating illegal logging. The National Timber Office of Benin (ONAB), with assistance from the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme, established an innovative traceability system for its teak plantations that helps prevent illegal logging, transport or sale of state timber. ONATRACK uses smartphones to send real-time information from the forest to the office, and uses barcodes to track the timber. Th is is a first step to demonstrating that timber is produced legally, and will eventually increase market access for the small and medium enterprises that process and export state timber. The system is so successful it is now used in all state plantations in Benin, positioning the country as a traceability leader in West Africa.
Book (series)

Reducing export restrictions on timber to sustain commercial forestry investments in Uganda
FAO Agricultural Development Economics Policy Brief 25
2020

Also available in:

No results found.

Over the last 20 years, the Government of Uganda has implemented several policies to promote investments in commercial forest plantations. As a result of these policy efforts, the supply of commercially produced pine is set to increase dramatically over the next few years. This brief summarizes a cost-benefir analysis based on interviews carried out in July 2019. The findings highlights a significant challenge facing the sector. Without reforms to the current market situation in the country, plantation owners are unlikely to replant pine once existing trees are harvested. The Government of Uganda now should consider implementing policies to sustain the sector, and enable it to help meet the rapidly growing demand for timber and other wood products in the region, and beyond. This depends fundamentally on enabling producers and processors to easily access to external timber markets.
Book (stand-alone)

Commercial timber harvesting in the natural forests of Mozambique 2002

Also available in:

No results found.

This case study is one of a series of publications produced by the Forest Harvesting, Trade and Marketing Branch of FAO in an effort to promote environmentally sound forest harvesting and engineering practices. The purpose of these studies is to highlight both the promise of environmentally sound forest harvesting technologies as a component of sustainable forest management, and the constraints that must be overcome in order to assure widespread adoption of those technologies. The FAO Forest Pro ducts Division wishes to express its appreciation to the Forest Harvesting and Transport Branch of Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique for its cooperation in the publication of this revised and translated version of a report on forest harvesting in the natural forests of Mozambique. The earlier, Portuguese-language version of the report was published in November 1999 under the title “Eficiência no Aproveitamento Comercial de Madeira em Toros”. FAO and the author also wish to acknowle dge the kind support given by the management and field staff of the companies ECOSEMA in the Province of Sofala, ÁLVARO de CASTRO in the Province of Gaza, MITI in the Province of Cabo Delgado, SOMANOL in the Province of Nampula, and ARCA as well as SRZ in the Province of Zambézia, throughout the implementation of this study. The field studies and analyses described in this report were carried out by Henning Fath, until recently Docent of Forest Harvesting and Transport in the Faculty of Agricult ure and Forestry at Eduardo Mondlane University under a GTZ/CIM-assignment, who also prepared the written report. FAO Forestry Officer Joachim Lorbach managed the preparation of the report for publication in the FAO Forest Harvesting Case-Study Series. Editing and final layout for publication were done by Dennis Dykstra.