Offaly-based forest awareness education group Just Forests, has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission’s DG-Environment Unit. The group is calling on the EC to stop the widespread use of illegal Timber in Ireland and make it an offence for Ireland and all EU member states to import illegal Timber.

According to Tom Roche, coordinator of Just Forests, “Ireland has a particular responsibility for deforestation and illegal logging. Our economic development and consumption in this country is very much dependent upon natural resources from other parts of the world, in particular some of the poorest countries of Africa, Latin America and S.E. Asia. This is particularly true for timber. “

The group cites examples of a number of high-profile construction sites in Ireland that have used illegal timber in their construction/refurbishment works and includes: Offaly Co Council, Westmeath Co Council, Irish Aid and the EC office in Molesworth Street, Dublin. It is important that all timber traders and construction companies adopt a clear and coherent policy on what timber is acceptable for use in construction or they risk contributing further to the problem.

Most of the logging in tropical and boreal regions focuses on high-value trees that are exported for consumption in Europe and Asia. Biodiversity is currently vanishing at an alarming rate all over the world. According to Stavros Dimas, EU Commissioner for Environment, “we are, so to speak, erasing nature’s hard drive without even knowing what data it contains.”

We must recognise that biological diversity (which includes all living things) represents the natural wealth of the Earth. It provides the basis for life, economic development and prosperity for the whole of mankind.

Plywood accounted for roughly one third of the Illegal Timber which Ireland imported directly from outside the EU during 2008. Sawnwood, joinery and furniture each probably accounted for a further 15%-20%. China supplied almost all that plywood, most of that joinery (e.g. flooring) and half of that furniture from timber stolen from other countries.

ENDS

NOTES to Editors:

The submission consists of three documents:

1. Covering Letter

2. Formal Complaint with Graphic Import Statistics

3. Historic/background to the Complaint

The documents can be downloaded from this link http://www.justforests.org/whats_new.php