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Informed procurement choices can support the sustainable management of forests, help protect workers’ health and the rights of the people who depend on forests. Growing numbers of private and public sector actors are setting ambitious targets to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. The question remains: How to implement and deliver on these commitments?

Seven years ago, Brazil’s São Paulo State Environmental Police set out to crack down on the illegal timber trade. In 2011, during one of their most ambitious inspection operations, officers inspected nearly 350 trucks and more than 60 lumberyards in just two days. Discovering an array of violations, they responded by delivering 50 violation notices and issuing BRL $2.2 million (USD $1.4 million) in fines.

This June, the Global Timber Forum (GTF) held its second session in Shanghai, China, bringing together over 100 representatives of the private sector as well as a number of governmental, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations that work with the forest products sector.

The Instituto Centro de Vida (Life Center Institute - ICV) recently released a report mapping illegal forest clearings in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. The analysis was part of a Global Forest Watch Small Grants Fund project to assess the legality of timber extraction by comparing tree cover loss vis-à-vis authorized forest management operations, indigenous territories and protected areas between August 2012 and July 2013.

Calling all innovators! The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge is a competition that will award Grand Prizes of up to $500,000 for the most impactful and scalable science and tech solutions to combat trafficking of terrestrial and marine wildlife.

The introduction of demand-side wood legality policies, such as the 2008 amendment to the United States Lacey Act and the 2013 European Union Timber Regulation, fundamentally shifted business-as-usual for buyers of wood and wood products. To comply with these regulations, businesses must exercise due care to ensure that the operations of their entire upstream supply chain have been legally compliant.

Illegal logging has long been an environmental concern, as well as a widespread organized crime and governance problem. In recent years, avoiding illegal wood has also become a significant issue for businesses in the forest products sector.

Illegal logging drives deforestation in many countries, robbing national governments and local communities of valuable income and contributing to global biodiversity loss and climate change. Experts estimate that up to 10 percent—or about $7 billion—of the global wood supply is sourced illegally—meaning that the wood was harvested in violation of national laws or international agreements to which a country is party to.

On November 4, 26 members of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Forest Solutions Group released a leadership statement, committing to significantly scale up sustainable forest management. These 26 members are responsible for nearly 40% of annual global forest, paper, and packaging sales. To read the full story on WBCSD's website, click here.

U.S. federal authorities recently executed search warrants at two Virginia facilities belonging to Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc., the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring in the United States. Lumber Liquidators said in a press release last month that the raids were related “to the importation of certain of the Company’s wood flooring products,” but did not explain further.