Bridging Science and Law: Aligning Forensic Wood Analysis with Indonesia’s Forest Law Enforcement to Tackle Illegal Timber Trade

This working paper identifies the key stakeholders who can benefit from the use of advanced wood identification methods and promotes collaboration to increase their application. It also reviews existing supporting legislation and examines the barriers that currently hinder the wider administration of these method.

In 2021, World Resources Institute (WRI) published a working paper on the implementation of wood identification technologies in Indonesia, titled “How Wood Identification Technologies Help Ensure Timber Legality in Indonesia” (Cetera et al. 2021). This working paper provides an update on the research, in light of WRI’s continuing engagement with enforcement agencies, forest authorities, and wood scientists on the topic. The analysis below aims to describe how these agencies work and identify ways to strengthen collaboration between law enforcement agencies and key stakeholders to support the implementation of forensic wood analysis in Indonesia and address the illegal timber trade. This present working paper also outlines updates on policies and legal instruments that support the implementation of wood identification technologies in Indonesia, key stakeholders who will benefit from their application, the legal formalities required to harness these technologies, and the need for expanding reference datasets.

Although this study refers extensively to international literature and foreign lab works, the main analysis emphasizes the application of wood identification technologies in Indonesia. Citations on how foreign labs provide identification services, build reference databases, and approach lab accreditation are included for comparison to give stakeholders a broader view of common practices for identification services. Accordingly, the scope of this study is limited to discussions on capacity, legal frameworks, and enabling factors for the implementation of wood identification efforts.

Key Findings

• Verifying claims on the species and origin of timber products using wood identification methods can support improved enforcement and compliance with policies aimed at curbing illegal timber trade.
• Wood anatomy is currently the main identification method used in Indonesia (for the identification of species). However, other identification methods, such as stable isotope analysis and DNA analysis, have the potential to provide alternative verification tools for law enforcement purposes, particularly by enabling the identification of timber origin. In 2024, IPB University acquired a direct analysis in real time (time of flight) mass spectrometry (DART-TOF-MS) machine that can be used to provide the rapid identification of species.
• The application of wood identification methods relies heavily on the interest, willingness, and capacity of enforcement agencies and other key stakeholders to be able to use and promote these tools.
• Pursuing lab accreditation is an important step toward integrating these methods into law enforcement processes in Indonesia and ensuring compliance with the procedures needed to collect evidence under Indonesian law. One widely used accreditation standard for laboratories is ISO 17025. The Center of Sustainable Forest Development (Pusat Pengembangan Hutan Berkelanjutan; P2HB), under the umbrella of the Ministry of Forestry (MoF), manages a well-established ISO 17025 accredited lab for anatomy analysis, which is highly referred to by enforcement agencies and the private sector. In addition, the Forest Genetics Lab at IPB University is currently preparing for accreditation as part of an existing ISO certification of its laboratories.
• Standardized protocols for the sampling, collection, and analysis of DNA, stable isotope, and DART-TOF-MS methods in Indonesia remain limited. In light of this, WRI Indonesia and IPB University produced a guideline for DNA forensic sampling, collection, and analysis that can be used as a reference for enforcement agencies and scientists. Other relevant protocols developed by foreign labs and institutions could be adopted by labs in Indonesia, such as those used by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit.