WELLINGTON: New official documentation will help overseas markets determine that New Zealand wood products come from legally harvested timber, the processing industry says.
Import regulations in markets including Australia, Europe and the United States, are being tightened as part of increasing international efforts to counter the trade in illegally logged timber, especially from tropical forests.
In response, the New Zealand government will provide exporters with an official information statement that they can use to declare their products have been legally and sustainably harvested.
New Zealand Wood Processors and Manufacturers’ Association chief executive Jon Tanner says that would to help exporters who are increasingly being asked to prove that their products are legal.
“New Zealand produces legal timber. The issue for us is how we actually prove that, and this is a step towards actually helping us to prove the legality of what we are producing, so it’s a very important step forward.”
Mr Tanner said illegal logging was a “massive problem” internationally. “Interpol estimates that between 20 and 50 percent of timber traded in the world today comes from illegal sources.”
The Government should also make sure it had measures in place to block imports of illegally logged products into this country, he said.
