Timber Traceability: A Diagnostic Tool for Practitioners and Policymakers

Traceability is an essential steppingstone in achieving and demonstrating legality and sustainability. Producers and buyers are better positioned to assess the risk of sourcing illegal timber and enabled to comply with the law when they can show that the product can be traced back to its origin.

This guide supports the implementation of government-led timber traceability systems by providing practical guidance and discussion on the key considerations that must be assessed to develop and implement systems that are appropriate to their context and responsive to the needs of stakeholders.

Executive Summary: Traceability is recognized as important for the legitimacy and credibility of natural resource management, and as a tool to support and demonstrate compliance with legality and sustainability requirements.

Many governments have considered, or are developing, traceability systems to better monitor legal compliance, facilitate exports to regulated markets, formalize the sector, or enhance forest resources management.

This guide supports the implementation of government-led timber traceability systems by providing practical guidance and discussion on the key considerations that must be assessed to develop and implement systems that are appropriate to their context and responsive to the needs of stakeholders.