Using Scientific Methods to Combat Illegal Logging

Source: Gunther Otta, Fotolia.com

I. Illegal logging – a problem for the EU

Illegal logging and trade with illegal timber and wood products are the cause for many economic and ecological problems both in the producer and in the consumer countries. Illegal logging is one of the main causes of worldwide deforestation and, by releasing greenhouse-relevant gasses, contributes to climate change. Moreover, trade with illegal timber and wood products creates market disadvantages for products from sustainable forestry. The OECD assesses global damages through illegal timber at approx. € 150 billion per year. According to estimates, approx. 50 percent of timber exports from the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, Southeast Asia and the Russian Federation originate from illegal logging.

Although instruments have been established against illegal logging and the trade, some on a national level (rules of public procurement for timber) and some on the EU level (EU FLEGT Action Plan), we lack practicable control mechanisms to identify the origin of timber and wood products. Such methods of identifying types of wood and timber origins are the fundamental prerequisites for efficient import controls or corresponding origin testing by industry and wood traders. The presently used tests, for example in the scope of the CITES international species protection convention, meet their limits in many tropical tree species.

II. International workshop on identifying timber origins in Königswinter, Germany

The intention of an international workshop, which took place on the initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) in Königswinter on 8 and 9 October, was to get more detailed information on methodological approaches dealing with the identification of timber species and their origin. On the invitation of the BMELV and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 40 leading scientists from nine countries gave state-of-the-art presentations and discussed new methods.

The goals of the workshop were:

• to offer those scientists working with genetic (DNA markers) and chemical (isotopes) testing methods a forum for interdisciplinary exchange of information,
• to reveal the current standard of knowledge for both methods and to analyze their strengths and weaknesses,
• to pinpoint gaps in research and set up alliances and networks,
• to identify technical and other requirements for setting up databases, and
• to devise political requirements and discuss steps and make recommendations for an effective control system.

In two sessions, the scientists discussed new methods of identifying the origins of timber. Session A contained genetic and chemical testing methods for identifying timber origin and tree species, while Session B focused on setting up and managing relevant databases. Prof. Peter Fritz from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany moderated the sessions.

III. Genetic and chemical methods of identifying timber origin

Session A focused on the two testing methods; their usability, potentials, strengths and weaknesses, costs as well as possible and necessary further developments. The following presentations sketched the field of research:

• Prof. Bernd Degen from the Federal Research Center for Forestry and Forestry Products, Germany (BFH) gave an introduction on the principles of origin identification using DNA markers. He presented research results that describe the regional variations in the DNA of European and South American tree populations. Based on chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA markers, some tree species studied can be allocated to different regions. Likewise, it is possible in many cases to unambiguously determine the tree species.
• The use of isotopes to identify the origin of foods was described by Prof. Hilmar Förstel from the Technology Center Jülich, Germany, a method that has been used in many EU countries for many years. He emphasised the possibilities for also applying this chemical method for identifying the origin of timber and wood products.
• Prof. Rainer Finkeldey, University Göttingen, Germany presented the use of DNA markers to identify dipterocarpaceae. His research group is working on rapid and reliable methods of extracting DNA from dipterocarpaceae.
• Prof. Andrew Lowe, Plant Biodiversity Center, Australia demonstrated that the success of origin identification depends on the strength of genetic variation in the natural range of a tree species. As an example, he showed how the phylogeographical variation of DNA markers were used on oaks in Europe and to reveal that the origin of timber from a British warship that sank 400 years ago was Great Britain. He also presented the ongoing research studies for identification of the phylogeographical variation of important tropical tree species (Teak, Mahogany, Spanish cedar) and discussed progress made in the development of inexpensive testing methods.
• The development of a valid method of rapid and inexpensive genetic identification of ramin was presented by Dr Rob Ogden, TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, UK. The pilot project was necessary since the existing morphological methods required a high degree of specialist knowledge making them insufficiently practicable.
• Research studies for identification of timber origin on the basis of stable isotopes were the subject of Dr Markus Boner, Agroisolab GmbH, Germany. The project aim was to clearly classify wood samples from Germany, Sweden and Russia as well as wood samples from varying regions of Borneo to a specific geographic region using stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen. In temperate or boreal regions this is unequivocally possible. A north-to-south and west-to-east depletion of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes could be found in timber, confirming available experience, for example from the food sector.

IV. Setting up and managing databases

This session had the following presentations:

• Dr Rossmann, Isolab GmbH, Germany provided an overview of the diverse applications of the isotope method for testing the origin of foods in Europe.
• Dr Gerald Koch (Federal Research Center for Forestry and Forestry Products, Germany) reported on the installation of a computer-assisted database for the anatomic identification of CITES-protected wood species. This CITESWoodID software developed by the BFH enables customs authorities to quickly and inexpensively determine the genus of the most relevant commercially traded wood species.
• A chemo-taxonomical database using genetic and chemical methods was the subject matter of the talk by Dr Akira Kagawa, Research Institute for Forestry and Forest Products, Japan. The focus was on Red meranti, since it is the most logged timber in Southeast Asia. He stressed the importance of the optimal selection of the sampling section of the tree since DNA concentrations differ in different parts of trees.
• Dr Peter Blitznakov and Dr Boner, Agroisolab GmbH, Germany spoke on the potentials of employing GPS data in freely available geo-information systems (such as Google Maps) to set up reference databases and presented an initial version of such an online database.

V. Main results

The international workshop is an important step towards optimising the origin identification of timber. At present, two methods are on the threshold of usability: 1.) identification through genetic variations between regions of origin with the aid of so-called genetic markers, and 2.) comparative analyses of different isotopes of elements in timber, particularly oxygen, hydrogen, sulphur and nitrogen. Both methods have in common that it is simpler to exclude a possible geographic source while testing than to directly determine the place of origin. It is therefore suggested that, similar to the procedure for foods, a declaration of geographic origin be demanded for timber as well. In detail, the following results were compiled:

Genetic method:

• The analysis of DNA is possible in untreated timber and there are very promising research results for treated timber. New methods of screening variations in the nucleotide sequence (bar coding) mean that in three to five years, DNA markers for species identification may be available for approximately fifty commercially important wood species. The analysis of DNA in very treated timber however, requires further research. The estimated costs for the identification in use will then be between 5 and 50 Euro per test.
• Regional genetic variations were found for some endemic tree species in French Guyana, which allow for narrowing down regions of origin to a radius of less than 100 km. The success rate in the identification of regional genetic variations is species dependent. Data on genetic differentiation (chloroplast markers and microsatellites, AFLPs) are available for 20 Neotropic, 10 African and 10 Asian taxa. In addition, a sufficient number of various genetic marker types are available to study the local genetic variations of other tree species and to increase the regional resolution of origin ranges of tree species already examined. New techniques are in the development phases, as well. Hence identification of the species and their origin are possible as long as comparative samples are available from relevant regions and relevant species.

Chemical method:

• The analysis of untreated and treated timber is possible. Geographical mapping depends on abiotic and climatic gradients; the isotope ratios are determined through the climatic situation and relevant hydrological cycles. The costs for use are estimated at approx. 200 Euro for a thorough test (H, O, S, N). For the setup of a reference database, the fact that the test results can be transferred to other species may be financially favourable in that reference samples from every individual tree species will probably not be necessary.
• The samples cannot be manipulated without great effort since a characteristic of the material itself is utilised. It is possible to analyse various elements of the timber. The fluctuation of isotope concentrations in specific elements of trees can re-duce the accuracy of test results. In regions with homogeneous climate conditions in particular, regional identification is difficult.
• It is anticipated that by extending the isotope method to additional elements such as nitrogen, sulphur and strontium the method can be distinctly improved in future. In a case study in Germany, the analysis of hydrogen and oxygen in combination with sulphur made it possible to differ between two locations separated by a distance of 200 km.

Setting up and managing databases:

• The DNA data for species differentiation should be compiled in international bar code databases. Genetic and chemical data should be compiled in an openly accessible database, perhaps in cooperation with the existing CITESWoodID database of the BFH for identifying tree taxa according to anatomical aspects.

VI. Next steps

Based on these results, the scientists agreed to set up a network for continued dialogue. They suggested that this be located at an international research institute (e.g. Biodiversity International or the Center for International Forestry Research).

The scientists wish to take advantage of the stimuli offered by the workshop to drive world-wide research on origin identification ahead and plan to scientifically examine yet unan-swered questions in an international project. Moreover, an international pilot project will be initiated in which a database of genetic and stable isotope data as bar codes will be compiled with online input based on Google Earth and GPS.

The creation of suitable political frameworks is important, e.g. by requiring origin declarations for the import of timber in the primary consumer markets (EU, USA). This would considerably facilitate the usability of the methods presented.

In this way, the fight to save the world’s forests from destruction through illegal logging can be brought another major step forward using scientific methods.