WASHINGTON, D.C. — The World Resources Institute has launched the Forest Legality Risk Information Tool to help wood products buyers assess illegal logging risks.
The WRI, an environmental think tank based here, said the tool is designed to help purchasers of forest products in securing wood products from legal sources.
"Our hope is that the information in this tool will make it easier and cheaper to examine forest product supply chains and improve transparency in the marketplace," said Adam Grant, WRI senior associate.
Both the United States and the European Union ban the importation of forest products that were illegally harvested in their country of origin.
The WRI risk tool provides details about where forest products come from and what issues a buyer might encounter.
It allows searching by country or species for specific information. Later additions to the tool will provide interactive supply chain profiling tools.
The risk tool, a project of the Forest Legality Alliance, was partly funded by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a forest management standard. The tool is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the WRI press release said.