Since the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force in 2013, timber testing has evolved to become a key due diligence tool. Industries, authorities and NGOs increasingly turn to the scientists to discover which timbers are hidden in wood products.
The EUTR bans the import of illegal timber into the EU. It also obliges importers to show due diligence and minimise the risk that the timber was illegally harvested.
However, to understand what the risks might be, you first need to know whether you are dealing with e.g. oak from Russia or Europe, meranti from Indonesia or sapele from the Republic of Congo.
Ukelele with samples cut out from its neck and body. Ukeleles and guitars may contain a number of timber species - for example, the inner sheathing may be different from the outside.
Obtaining this type of information in other ways can be a major challenge. This goes even for many solid wood products and in particular for products such as particleboard or paper. Supply chains can be long and complex and the timber’s journey from the site of harvesting may go through several countries.
Timber testing – a key tool for due diligence
NEPCon works with companies across Europe to help them tackle their obligations under the EUTR.
Legality expert Oliver Cupit says, “We see timber testing as a natural part of the due diligence process. Testing techniques can often provide firm evidence as to the species content or origin of the wood contained in a product. Obtaining this information is an important part of the due diligence process towards reducing risks of EUTR noncompliance.”
Timber samples collected by the Thünen Institute.
Growing demand
The Institute of Wood Research at the Thünen Institute in Hamburg specialises on wood anatomy. The scientists use distinctive anatomical features such as arrangement of vessels or storage tissue to determine the genus or individual species that the wood is made from.
Wood anatomists PD Dr Gerald Koch and Volker Haag explain that the institute’s wood collections contain reference samples from about 11,000 individual species, including all timber that are commonly imported to Europe.
A “wood library” at the Thünen Institute, containing a part of the institute’s comprehensive collection of wood samples.
With the enforcement of the EUTR in March 2013, the institute has quickly evolved into a leading timber testing laboratory. It is part of the Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber that combines analytical expertise and knowledge in the fields of wood identification, proof of origin, certification and timber trade routes.
Since the EUTR went into force, the Centre of Competence has prepared about 1,200 scientific analysis reports for microscopic wood identification on demand from companies and other organisations.
In this period, the number of requests has increased by 20-25% a year.
Last year, about 70% of all requests received by the institute came from the private sector, mainly from timber traders.
“Currently, we also observe an increasing demand and interest from the public authorities,” says Mr Haag. The majority of the samples tested by the Thünen Institute are proven to contain the correct species declared by the supplier. “Several companies are using our testing service on a regular sampling basis, as part of a precautionary approach,” notes Mr Haag.
He adds that the institute has clearly felt the impact of the EUTR: “Especially, requests for identification of paper and fibreboards have strongly increased in the last few months."
Plywood is a complex material when you take a close look at it. In one case, experts of the Thünen Institute found 14 timber species contained in 21 layers of a single sample.
These types of products require special expertise and the preparation of defined references. For this reason, we develop a fibre atlas of Southeast Asian tree species. These references are important to identify the species of Mixed Tropical Hardwoods used in fibreboard and paper production”.
Timber testing techniques
A growing number of laboratory techniques are used to determine species or origin of the wood contained in different products. The choice of method depends on the due diligence question that needs to be answered. The most common techniques are the following:
- Wood anatomy analysis. Advantage: The least expensive and most widely used technique. It allows identification of species or groups of species. Limitation: Availability of reference data on some species.
- Genetic (DNA) testing. Advantage: Allows precise identification of the species in cases where this is not possible with wood anatomy analysis and in some cases also the origin of the wood. Limitation: Availability of reference data. More costly than wood anatomy.
- Stable Isotope analysis. Advantage: Reveals the origin - the area where the wood was originally grown. Limitation: Availability of reference data. Does not reveal species or genus.
A carpenter turned wood detective
Volker Haag was a carpenter for nine years before he engaged on wood anatomy for a living. As an experienced wood anatomist, he is able to identify over 100 timber species on the macroscopic level using a hand lens. Due to the rising focus on legal timber trade, the experts of the Thünen Centre of Competence are increasingly in request to build capacity and assist other organisations to understand the utility of timber testing techniques.
Mr Haag is an invited guest speaker at the free seminar The EUTR two years in which takes place in Berlin on 27 October 2015. The seminar is organised by NEPCon and will provide a roundup of the current status of the EUTR. The event also includes free ‘timber legality clinics’ where companies can consult NEPCon’s experts on a one-to-one basis.
All images used in this article are © Thünen Institute.