The Status of Science-Based Authentication for Wood Products

Meaghan Parker-Forney

WRI Forest Legality Initiative

IWPA

5 April 2019

Tucson, AZ

World Resources Institute (WRI)

“A ‘Think Tank/Do Tank’ research institution focused on the development of applied tools to protect and

manage natural resources.”

• 350 HQ staff, > 650 staff, globally

• 6 country offices

➢ Mexico, Brazil, India, China, Indonesia, Europe, Africa

• Programs:

➢ Climate, Energy, Food, Forests, Water, Cities and Ocean

Forest Legality Initiative (FLI)

An initiative within WRI’s Forest Program which aims to equip private sector, civil society, government and policy makers with tools and resources for exercising due care and keeping illegally harvested forest products out of the market.

Wood Identification focus area under FLI

In collaboration with scientists, government and intergovernmental agencies

- develop, fund and execute research projects

In collaboration with public and private sector

- deploy pilot projects

- bring nascent, open access technologies to

scale

VULNERABILITIES IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

VULNERABILITIES IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Can Technology Help?

• New and established technologies are developing rapidly

• Different technologies are appropriate for different users and uses

• Technology is not a silver bullet

Hurdles: Scientific Advancement

Reference databases:

• Must be developed for each species/origin

• Must be georeferenced data from across the species entire range

• Must obtain herbarium vouchers for verification

*All of the above amounts to a significant amount of time and money

Hurdles: Private Sector Uptake

• Understanding the technology

• Understanding the application

Most Important: Understanding the appropriateness!

Ongoing Collaborative Projects

• Protocol development

• Reference database development for:

⁻ Genomic analysis

⁻ Chemical analysis

⁻ Anatomical analysis

⁻ Isotopic analysis

• Peer Reviewed Publications

• Workshops

Established and Emerging Technologies

Geospatial tools

• UAVs

• Remote sensing

• Citizen science apps

Non-geospatial tools

• Genetic

• Chemical

• Traditional and machine vision wood anatomy

CITES App 1 vs. App II

Non-geospatial Problems

Overview of technologies and projects

Genusonly

✔ Species ID

- Origin underinvestigation

Macro and Microscopic Wood Anatomy

Automated Wood Anatomy

Automated Wood Anatomy

DNA ANALYSIS

DNA ANALYSIS

Chemical and Stable Isotope Analysis

Chemical and Stable Isotope Analysis

GTTN’s interactive provider directory

GTTN’s Interactive Lab Finder Key

Remaining Challenges

• FUNDS for the development of credible, secure reference collections (requires public investment)

• Scale commercial lab capacity

• Intellectual property concerns

• Pilot testing needed

• Developing a “business case” for key user communities

Thank you