Illegal Hardwoods From Indonesia, China, Malaysia Flooding Australia - Age

[hatrack]

The amount of illegally logged timber products imported into Australia is the equivalent of the annual sawlog production of Victoria and Tasmania, a forestry seminar has been told. A consultant, Alan Tate, said a study by management consultants Jaakko Poyry had shown that Australia each year imported more than $400 million worth of illegally logged timber products.

A government department had calculated that this amounted to 900,000 cubic metres of sawlogs. "This is an extraordinary amount of timber," Mr Tate said. "It must be addressed by government. This is a market-awareness problem. One in four or five hardwood chairs in Australia has come from a stolen forest."

EDIT

The report, prepared for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, found that most illegal imports came from South-East Asia, with the main problem areas being Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

The report estimated that $214 million, or half the illegally logged imports, were furniture. This amounted to 20 per cent of all wooden furniture imports. Other products affected are paper and paperboard, wood-based panels, sawn wood and miscellaneous products.

EDIT

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/illegal-wood-floods-into-australia/2006/04/30/1146335610376.html

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Ahhh

China??? does this guy knows what he is talking about.
Indonesia and Malaysia yes. It is happening in Bornea (Kalimantan) region.
Think better take out atlas to look at :rofl:

[hatrack]

2. I'm surprised he didn't mention Burma . . .

But then, most of the Burmese old-growth is already gone. I was there ten years ago, and where teak forests once stood, there was nothing by rock and dirt for as far as the eye could see - 20 or 30 miles in every direction just east of Mandalay.

[Oversea Visitor]

3. Yup

and Thailand but hey you know what it is all about.
But China :rofl: they importing like mad.

[Oversea Visitor]

4. Haha

They talking of finish products not raw logs