Blogs

First off, Taylor Guitars supports Lacey and its intent. Of course, who doesn’t say they support Lacey? People announce their support whether they practice their statement or not. But, let’s say, just for argument’s sake, that none of us guitar makers were environmentalists, or cared about the world’s tropical forests.

The world of forest legality changes rapidly, and it’s not always easy to keep up with what’s happening. At the Forest Legality Alliance, we’ll be using this space to point out new reports, publications, newsletters, and resources that can help you stay up to date with what’s current in the world.

This week, we’re looking at a report on the timber trade in Southeast Asia and an industry association response. In late July, the UK office of the Environmental Investigation Agency released “Crossroads,” a report on cross-border timber traffic between Laos and Vietnam.

The world of forest legality changes rapidly, and it’s not always easy to keep up with what’s happening. At the Forest Legality Alliance, we’ll be using this space to point out new reports, publications, newsletters, and resources that can help you stay up to date with what’s current in the world. This week:

Forest Trends, in collaboration with the European Forest Institute’s FLEGT Asia program, published a baseline study, Overview of Forest Governance, Markets, and Trade, for Lao PDR.

by Caitlin Clarke and Adam Grant, World Resources Institute

The Timber Trades Journal, the UK’s leading magazine for the timber industry, interviewed Adam Grant of the Forest Legality Alliance and Rachel Butler of the UK Timber Trade Federation about the Lacey Act and the new European Union Illegal Timber Regulation, which takes effect on March 3, 2013. Our friends at the TTJ have kindly allowed full online access to the interview. You can read it here.

by Craig Hanson, World Resources Institute

2010 was a significant year for global efforts to tackle illegal logging. Here’s a look back on some of that progress.

Long a problem in many of the world’s forests, illegal logging has unsustainable impacts. It deprives governments of tax revenue. It puts law-abiding companies at a competitive disadvantage.