wood anatomy - the role of macroscopic and microscopic ... · the role of macroscopic and...

Wood anatomy - The role of macroscopic and microscopic wood identification to combat illegal logging and trading

PD Dr. habil. Gerald Koch, Dr. Immo Heinz, Volker Haag and Dr. Uwe Schmitt Thünen-Institute of Wood Research

IAWA-IUFRO International Symposium: Challenges and Opportunities for Updating Wood Identification

Koch et al. Slide 2

Wood is good!


…and very nice,

…but also endangered!

White oak Quercus sp.

Bubinga Guibourtia sp.

Morado Machaerium scleroxylon

Koch et al.

Tropical forest degradation - Conversion and illegal logging

Illegal logging and its consequences: Global forest area loss (12-15 million h/a) 80 - 85% by conversion 15 - 20% conv. use of wood

Results: Deforestation, increase in CO2 emissions, loss of biodiversity Discrimination of sustainable and certified forest management

IAWA-IUFRO International Symposium: Challenges and Opportunities for Updating Wood Identification Slide 3

Koch et al.

Regulations and laws to combat illegal logging

The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) requires obligations on businesses who trade in timber and timber related products

The CITES Convention: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

The US Lacey Act: a conservation law in the United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold

The Australia illegal logging prohibition act prohibits the import and processing of illegally logged timber and timber products according to the EUTR


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CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

The current CITES-listings of the entire rosewood genus (over 250 species) and of bubinga have a major impact on timber trade, as these species are traditionally used for components of musical instruments and high quality furniture

Bulnesia sarmientoi Palo santo CITES II / B, #11

Paubrasilia echinata Fernambuc CITES II / B, #10

Cedrela odorata Cedro CITES III / C, #5

Dalbergia nigra Brazilian rosewood CITES I / A

Dalbergia spp. Rosewood (> 250 species) CITES II / B, #15

Diospyros spp. Ebony (Madagascar) CITES II / B, #5

Fitzroya cupressoides Alerce CITES I / A

Gonystylus spp. Ramin CITES II / B, #4

Guaiacum spp. Pockholz CITES II / B, #2

Pericopsis elata Afrormosia CITES II / B, #5

Platymiscium spp. Granadillo CITES II / B, #4

Swietenia spp. True Mahagoni CITES II / B, #4,5,6


Koch et al. IAWA-IUFRO International Symposium: Challenges and Opportunities for Updating Wood Identification

▪ Customs control of approx. 700 instruments during the international music fair, Frankfurt (2017). 130 instruments with components produced of rosewood did not have the required CITES documents.

Customs control of music instruments

Slide 6

Koch et al.

European Timber Regulation - (EUTR) Timber products subjected to the control by the EUTR

European Timber Regulation ANNEX Timber and timber products as classified in the Combined Nomenclature in Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No. 2658/87

4401 Fuel wood, in logs, billets, pellets or similar forms; 4403 Wood (solid), not stripped, stripped of bark or two- or four-sided trimmed; 4406 Timber railway sleepers; 4407 Wood (sawn) or chipped lengthwise with a thickness exceeding 6 mm; 4408 Veneer sheets for plywood or for similar laminated wood 4410 Particle board, "oriented strand board" plates and similar plates 4411 Fibreboard of wood, agglomerated with resins or other organic substances; 4412 Plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood; 4415 Packing cases, boxes, and similar packing's 940330, 940340, 94035000, 940360 and 94039030 wood furniture Pulp and paper of chapters 47 and 48 of the Combined Nomenclature


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Activities on the scientific level - Wood anatomy

The objective of the Global Timber Tracking Network (GTTN) is to promote the operationalization of innovative tools for wood identification and origin determination, to assist the fight against illegal logging and related trade around the globe.

WRAITH = Wood Research Against Illegal Timber Harvest IAWA task force related to illegal logging Outreach to illegal logging stakeholders Building standardized protocols and proficiency tests for woodID

International Association of Wood Anatomists


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Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber Participating institutes

Participating institutes:

Thünen Institute of Wood Research (TI-HF)

- Macroscopic and microscopic wood identification

Thünen Institute of Forest Genetic (TI-FG)

- Genetic identification of wood species and origin

Thünen Institute for International Forestry and Forest Economics

(TI-WF)

- Evaluation of certificates and timber market analyses


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The scientific wood collection of the Thünen Institute Reference specimens for the wood identification

Photos Ilja Hendel

Number of specimens: approx. 37,500

Botanical families: approx. 245

Botanical genera: approx. 2,400

Individual species: approx. 11,500

Number of regularly traded timber (600 to 800 worldwide)


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Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber Scientific reports regarding the EUTR

Daily submissions of samples from the fields

Wood trade (75%)

Customs and environmental agencies (18%)

NGOs (5%)

Private consumer (2%)

Increasing identification of lesser known species, especially in products that are manufactured in Asia

Detailed market survey/observation of the internationally traded timber


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Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber Scientific reports regarding the EUTR


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The Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber Examples of microscopic wood identification (plywood)


Anatomical identification of individual veneer layers (< 0.2 mm thickness) in plywood

Botanical genus / Family Trade name

Alstonia spp. / APOCYNACEAE Pulai

Aucoumea klaineana / BURSERACEAE Okoumé

Beilschmiedia spp. / LAUARACEAE Medang

Campnosperma spp. / ANACARDIACEAE Terentang

Canarium spp. / BURSERACEAE Kedongdong

Endospermum spp. / ANACARDIACEAE Sesendok

Ochanostachys amentacea / OLACACEAE

Petaling

Octomeles sumatrana / DATISCACEAE Binuang

Palaquium spp. / SAPOTACEAE Nyatoh

Pentaspadon spp. / ANACARDIACEAE Pelaju

Shorea spp. subg. Rubroshorea / DIPTEROCARPACEAE

Red Meranti

Swintonia spp. / ANACARDIACEAE Merpauh

Slide 13

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Development and application of computer-assisted wood identification systems Commercial timbers, macroHOLZdata, softwoodID, and CITESwoodID, DELTA-INTKEY-System

The databases contains descriptions and an interactive identification system for softwood and hardwood taxa common in the international trade

Macroscopic and microscopic characters for the wood identification


Koch et al.

The database macroHOLZdata and Commercial timbers Microscopic identification and description of Bangkirai

Description and illustrations of Bangkirai for the microscopic wood identification


Koch et al. Slide 16 IAWA-IUFRO International Symposium: Challenges and Opportunities for Updating Wood Identification

Development and application of computer-assisted wood identification systems

The InsideWood database macroHOLZdata: demonstration of application

macroHOLZdata_2018/programs/intkey5.exe

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Identification of timber in fibre and particle boards Characterization of anatomical/morphological features

Microscopic identification of individual vessel types and tracheids in fibreboard (MDF)


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Identification of charcoal - methodological approach

Anatomical identification of charcoal Detection of tropical woods using microscopic structural features

Transverse section of tropical wood (SAPOTACEAE)

Transverse section of ash (Fraxinus)


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Microscopic structure of the CITES protected species Dalbergia maritima = Bois de rose

…and must be used carefully and sustainably!


Wood is good!

…and very nice,

Slide 19

Koch et al.

The Thünen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber

Many thanks

Contact: Thuenen Centre of Competence on the Origin of Timber [email protected], www.thuenen.de/holzherkuenfte


wood anatomy - the role of macroscopic and microscopic ... · the role of macroscopic and...

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