World Wildlife Fund

Legislation Enacted to Curb Illegal Logging

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Illegal Logging Ban Included in 2008 Farm Bill

In June 2008, the United States became the first country in the world to ban the import and sale of illegally-sourced wood and wood products when a ban was enacted as part of the 2008 Farm bill. WWF thanks the thousands of activists who spoke out in support of the prohibition on illegal wood.

At the behest of Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the 2008 Farm Bill included the ban by incorporating provisions of the Legal Timber Protection Act (H.R. 1497), sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and the Combat Illegal Logging Act (S. 1930), sponsored by Sen. Wyden.

The illegal logging ban is a huge victory for conservation. Sumatran tigers and rhinos, Siberian tigers, orangutans and many other species that depend on forest habitat around the globe will benefit from this legislation. WWF, through its Global Forest & Trade Network, helps responsible companies, including wood importers, to source legal and sustainable wood. The illegal logging ban will help level the playing field for these businesses that are doing the right thing.

Earlier Action

The House Natural Resources Committee approved the Legal Timber Protection Act by unanimous consent on November 7, 2007, which demonstrated strong support and increased the bill's chances of final passage. WWF activists sent 603 letters to committee members prior to the vote.

The Senate included many of the provisions of the Legal Timber Protection Act and Sen. Wyden's companion Combat Illegal Logging Act in its version of the Farm Bill. (WWF thanks the many activists who urged their senators to support the illegal logging language.) 

H.R. 1497 and S. 1930 were backed by a broad coalition of environmental, labor and industry organizations, including the majority of the American forest products industry. (See below for list of supporters.)

What's at Stake

Unlawful, uncontrolled logging threatens some of the most biologically significant forests in the world, including within the Amazon, Borneo and Sumatra, the Congo Basin, the greater Mekong and the Russian Far East. Illegal logging in these regions endangers critical wildlife habitat and biodiversity, increases risks to these forests from flood and fire, and is responsible for large amounts of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere.

Moreover, criminal timber trafficking depresses global wood prices by 7-16 percent, costing the legal forest products industry over $10 billion a year and governments an additional $5 billion annually. In the United States alone, where forest laws are enforced, American forest product companies lose an estimated $1 billion each year as a result of depressed prices and reduced exports caused by illegal logging.

Until passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, there were no laws to prevent illegally harvested wood from entering the U.S. marketplace. And there was no clear way for the responsible consumer to identify products that might be tainted by this illegal wood.

Learn More

Learn about WWF's work to protect the world's forests. 

Supporters of the Combat Illegal Logging Act (S.1930) and of the Legal Timber Protection Act (H.R.1497)

American Forest & Paper Association
Center for International Environmental Law
Conservation International
Defenders of Wildlife
Dogwood Alliance
Environmental Investigation Agency
ForestEthics
Friends of the Earth
From the Mountain Sources, LLC
Global Witness
Greenpeace
Hardwood Federation
International Brotherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners of America
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Lowe’s Home Improvement
Natural Resources Defense Council
Rainforest Action Network
Rainforest Alliance
Sierra Club
Society of American Foresters
South Cone Trading Company
Sustainable Furniture Council
The Nature Conservancy
Tropical Forest Trust
United Steelworkers
Wildlife Conservation Society
Wood Flooring International, Inc.
World Wildlife Fund

Past alerts
Save Endangered Forests From Destructive Illegal Logging - 11/2/2007
Another Chance to Save Sumatran Tigers - 11/5/2007