The Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture (COA) completed the development of the Taiwan Forest Product Production Traceability System and launched it in December last year (2019). With the completion of the Traceability System, the tendering for first-grade precious woods, such as stout camphor tree (Cinnamomum kanehirae), Taiwan red cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis), and Taiwan cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana), which has been suspended since 2010, will be relaunched this year (2020). Starting in March, the various forest district offices of the Forestry Bureau have been releasing precious wood from their inventories according to the planning principle of "small quantity and multiple tenders" to timber processing plants, such as construction material and furniture factories, as well as private workshops or micro-enterprises for wood art and wood carving, in order to meet the demand for precious wood from the local market and to reduce illegal logging. The Forestry Bureau said that ten years ago, in order to prevent unscrupulous operators from selling illegally logged timber under the guise of legal tender documents from the Forestry Bureau, the sale of precious wood in the inventories was suspended. But as there is still considerable private market demand for local cypress products, illegal logging incidents continued to occur. Over the past three years, the Forestry Bureau has been actively developing and establishing the "production traceability" and "traceable product verification" systems for domestic timber and bamboo. Currently, three verification systems—CAS, TAP, and QR Code—for forest products and processed forest products have been completed. The CAS label, or "Certified Agricultural Standards - Forest Products," represents legal domestic timber products of stable quality. The TAP label, or "Traceable Agricultural Product - Timber and Bamboo Forest Products", not only ensures that sources are legal domestic timber, but also controls the production and sales processes, so that purchase and sale of domestic timber is safeguarded. The "Taiwan Forest Product Production Traceability QR Code" proves that the wood or bamboo products use domestically-produced timber or bamboo of legal origin. Consumers can also use the QR code to confirm a product's source. Verification Systems Now in Use, Origin of Precious Wood Products Can No Longer Be Falsified The Forestry Bureau pointed out that the Taiwan Forest Product Production Traceability System is now officially in use. Since this system adopts "anti-tampering" and "decentralization," both features of blockchain technology, it can accept online applications for the "Taiwan Forest Product Production Traceability QR Code." After passing review, the operator can download the QR code to print and paste it on the processed forest products, allowing consumers to use the QR code to identify whether the source of the wood product is legal. Members of the public will no longer need to rely on hearsay, because the QR code can now serve as proof; as a result, the Forestry Bureau has decided to resume tender cases for precious wood in 2020. The Forestry Bureau emphasized that for the relaunch of precious wood tender cases, it has been stipulated in the tender documents that the tenderer must be a legally-registered company or firm, and must have obtained one of the three qualifications - the CAS label for forest products and wood products, the TAP label for timber and bamboo forest products, or the Taiwan forest products QR code. Operators without the relevant qualifications can first apply for a Taiwan Forest Product Production Traceability System account. After winning the tender, the forest products and the related processed products must pass the CAS or TAP label verification or obtain the QR code within the stipulated period of time according to the contract provisions. Furthermore, the production and sales information must be provided to the respective forest district office for verification. Small Quantity and Multiple Tenders Benefit Small Studios, Consumers Should Look for "Taiwanese Wood" In addition, the Forestry Bureau has adopted the "small quantity and multiple tenders" approach in the planning of tenders. This gives more operators or wood artists the opportunity to obtain legal Taiwanese precious woods to make their products. Considering the high price of precious woods and to promote the use of domestic wood and bamboo, various forest district offices have pre-selected precious woods suitable for wood art and carving, and set up tender cases for wood not more than 5 cubic meters in dimension. This enables individual workshops or micro-enterprises engaged in wood art creation and wood carving to have the opportunity to participate in the tender process. The Forestry Bureau stated that since the three respective production verification management and traceability systems serving different purposes for Taiwan's forest products and processed forest products have been established, the "Taiwanese Wood" label was also registered last year to help consumers with identification. In addition, after negotiation with the Environmental Protection Administration, it has been agreed that wood, bamboo, and processed wood products that have the "Taiwanese Wood" label can be recognized as environmentally-friendly products under Green Procurement category III. In the future, as long as the bid-winning operators obtain CAS, TAP, or QR code for the raw wood materials or products won in the tender, they can also apply to use the "Taiwanese Wood" label that represents production from a legal source, allowing for easy identification by consumers. For announcements on precious wood tenders from the various forest district offices, or to download tender documents, visit the Forestry Bureau official website - Homepage - News - Forest Products. 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 Agricultural Product (TAP) for wood or bamboo verification, or the Taiwan Forest Product Production Traceability QR code, contact the Taiwan Architecture & Building Center (tel: 02-86676111#188, Ms. Chang.
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