Domestic Timber Verification System to Go Online Before End of Year; Forestry Bureau Advises Businesses to Apply ASAP

    In order to eradicate illegal logging and improve the identification of legal domestic timber, the domestic timber verification system that has been long in the making by the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture will be launched in November this year. Domestic timber industry operators who pass the verification will be able to use the Taiwan Wood label to inform consumers that the wood they purchased is from legally-produced domestic timber. On the basis of the policy to enhance use of domestic timber, the Forestry Bureau will provide strong assistance in marketing. In addition, verified domestic timber will also become designated or preferred materials for government public works. In the future, precious timber from Taiwanese indigenous trees such as Taiwan cypress, Taiwan red cypress, and Taiwan incense cedar will need to acquire verification labels before it can be exported. This ensures that exported domestic timber is sustainable forest products, while also putting a half to trade in precious timber from unidentified sources.
    Taiwan's forestry industry was once famous throughout the world for high-value Taiwan cypress and Taiwan red cypress. After the logging of natural forests was banned, the price of precious wood rose exponentially; with unscrupulous businesses risking the trade anyway, there were endless illegal logging cases. However, the lack of credible, verifiable timber production traceability has made it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal sources of precious wood on the market. This is unfair to law-abiding companies, and also makes it easier for illegal timber to be mixed in. Therefore, through two years of research, the Forestry Bureau has developed a comprehensive verification label system for domestic timber. The system includes the Certified Forest Product Standards (CAS), to ensure that consumers purchase legal wood products of a standard quality; the Traceable Forest Product Label (TAP), which not only ensures that sources are legal, domestic timber, but also controls the production and sales process, so that the purchase and sale of domestic timber is guaranteed; and the Forest Product Production Traceability QR Code, which domestic timber manufacturers can apply for through self-management guidance, to prove that their products use domestically-produced timber of legal origin, and which consumers can then use to confirm product sources. The Forestry Bureau emphasized that raw wood materials or products that have obtained a CAS, TAP or QR code can also use the "Taiwan Wood" label that represents production from a legal source, allowing for easy identification by consumers.
 
QR Code Introduces Blockchain Technology, Development of Anti-Counterfeiting Control Mechanism
    Precious wood differs from ordinary agricultural products in its large size, high unit price, and difficulty in tracing its source. It is frequently a target coveted by unscrupulous people, resulting in repeated instances of illegal logging. Therefore, the Forestry Bureau's Forest Product Production Traceability QR Code mechanism adopts blockchain technology's features of being untamperable and decentralized. The effectiveness of traceability management is enhanced through the tracking and data aggregation of each logistics record, thus providing citizens with domestic timber products of legal origin. It is also hoped that it will also guide consumers away from purchasing wood products of unknown origin, in order to truly eradicate the abhorrent acts of illegal logging.
 
Domestic Timber Verification Label: Companies Advised to Register ASAP
    The Forestry Bureau said that the application for CAS and TAP labels requires advance preparation of sourcing certificates and documents for import and export of goods. The Forestry Bureau calls on domestic timber manufacturers to prepare as soon as possible. Contact these consulting agencies for assistance: Chinese Wood Construction Buildings Association (Tel: 02-33664654, Ms. Chiang).
    To apply for the Certified Forest Product Standards (CAS), contact the Certified Agricultural Standards Development Association (tel: 02-23567417) or the Industrial Technology Research Institute (tel: 03-5914115).
    For assistance with the application of the Traceable Forest Product Label (TAP) or the QR code, contact the Taiwan Architecture & Building Center (tel: 02-86676111#188, Ms. Chang).