Tag: Responsible Timber

Second legal and sustainable timber project complete

Second legal and sustainable timber project complete

At the end of March 2021, BVRio completed its second project funded by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Forest Governance Markets and Climate (FGMC) programme. During the first project, running from 2015 to 2018, we adapted the Responsible Timber Exchange, originally developed for Brazil, to the circumstances of other tropical forest timber producer countries (Ghana, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Cameroon) and the consumer markets of the UK, EU and China.

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Tetekon is the new Iroko : Lesser-Known Timber Species are the best way to go!

Tetekon is the new Iroko : Lesser-Known Timber Species are the best way to go!

There are over 50,000 species of timber in the world, but only a small fraction is widely used commercially. This, however, does not mean that the rest of the species are unsuitable for a variety of commercial uses. There under-utilised species are known as Lesser-Known and Lesser-Used Timber Species (LKTS) and can often substitute more popular species in terms of performance and aesthetics, and cost-effectiveness. This makes choosing LKTS a good business decision, which also has the potential to improve livelihoods and protect biodiversity.

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Promoting Lesser-Known and Lesser-Used timber species from Ghana

Promoting Lesser-Known and Lesser-Used timber species from Ghana

In collaboration with Ghana Forestry Commission’s Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Ghana Timber Millers Organization (GTMO) and the Ghana Timber Association (GTA), BVRio developed a set of communication materials that include technical information about a selection of timber species that are available to the international markets.

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Illegal timber trade from Brazil and the need for robust due diligence

Illegal timber trade from Brazil and the need for robust due diligence

At the 12th BRICS Summit, held via video conference on the 17th November 2020, the Brazilian government “threatened to disclose” that “Europeans have purchased illegal timber from Brazil during 2017”.
Indeed, this is true.
Recent analysis by BVRio concluded that a high percentage of Brazilian hardwoods, exported to EU member states and the USA in 2016-2017, had a very high risk of illegality. The study was based on BVRio’s Timber Due Diligence systems, that uses big data analysis and satellite imagery and is able to able to identify the risk of irregularities in 99% of cases.

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WEBINAR: LESSER KNOWN SPECIES – Utilising Ghana's Sustainable Timber Resources

WEBINAR: LESSER KNOWN SPECIES – Utilising Ghana’s Sustainable Timber Resources

While Ghana has nearly 90 species that are regularly exploited and traded as timber, its diverse forests contain many other species that can be commercialised. Many of these under-utilised species have similar and sometimes even better performance capabilities than well-known species. Others have a distinctive and unique appearance that makes them ideal for creating attractive timber products. Using a more diverse selection of species is not only a good business decision but also has the potential to improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity and promote sustainable forest management.

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New Forest Code approved in the Republic of Congo

New Forest Code approved in the Republic of Congo

With over 65% of the Republic of Congo covered by forest – an area almost the size of the United Kingdom – it is vitally important that sustainable forest management practices take place in the country, both to improve livelihoods and protect the forest. The main legislation to do this is the country’s Forest Code; in July 2020, a new version of the code received presidential approval after eight years of revision. This is an important milestone towards a more sustainable and inclusive forestry and timber sector.

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