Illegal-logging has many negative consequences – environmental, social and economic.

Several studies have attempted to assess the scale of the illegal-logging problem. One of the most respected reports by Seneca Creek estimates that between 23% to 30% of hardwood lumber and plywood traded globally could be of suspicious origin. Their calculations also indicate that illegal material depresses world timber prices by an average of 7% to 16%.

Illegal-logging continues because individual cases are difficult to detect. Illegal logs look no different from legally harvested ones, whilst documentation can be easily produced to hide suspicious activity. In this way illegally-logged timber enters legitimate supply chains and is sold to unsuspecting customers world-wide.

For more information on illegal logging, visit www.illegal-logging.info.

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