International Symposium on Legality Verified Wood 2010
– Activities in Japan to tackle illegal logging issue –REPORT

December 10(Fri.)-11(Sat.), 2010
Organizers: Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations (JFWIA)& Japan Lumber Inspection and Research Association (JLIRA)
Sponsors:
The Forestry Agency of Japan
Ministry of the Environment of Japan

CONTENTS

Preface........................................................................................................................ 1
Opening Remarks of Organizer ................................................................................. 2
Congratulatory Address from Director-General of the Forestry Agency ................. 3
Outline of the Symposium.......................................................................................... 4
Part 1: Development and Operating of Wood Traceability System for Legality
Verification of Wood and Wood Products, and Relational Policies............ 9(Outline only) .............................................................................................................11

Part 2: Japanese Activities of Wood Legality Verification and Tackling Illegal
Logging Issue.............................................................................................. 13
Outline of Supply of Legality Verified Wood ...............................................................17
Keynote Report ........................................................................................................20
Wood Suppliers’ Activities in Japan ..........................................................................27
Wood Buyers’ / Consumers’ Activities in Japan ........................................................38

Part 3: Japanese Activities of Legality Verification, Development of Tackling
Illegal Logging Issue and Forecasts .......................................................... 53
Section 1 Report .....................................................................................................55
Section 2 Panel Discussion......................................................................................78

Outline of Exhibitions ............................................................................................... 87

This report is uploaded in the “Goho-wood” website.
(URL http://www.goho-wood.jp/world/)

PrefaceThis report was compiled from the International Symposium on Legality Verified Wood 2010–Activities in Japan to Tackle Illegal Logging Issues held December 10-11, 2010 in Tokyo, primarily as a summary of Part 2 “Japanese Activities
of Wood Legality Verification and Tackling Illegal Logging Issue" and Part 3 "Japanese Activities of Legality Verification, Development of Tackling Illegal Logging Issue and Forecasts” which were sponsored by the Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations.
The Japanese Government has been implementing a policy since 2006 for preferential purchasing of wood and wood products that are verified as being legallyand sustainably produced. At this Symposium, concerned parties from inside andoutside Japan discussed the issues and achievements to date in the efforts madeby the Japanese wood industry since that time to supply legality verified wood
products.
We sincerely hope that this report, which highlights efforts by the Japanesewood industry, will serve as a reference for people working within Japan and overseas to tackle illegal logging.
Hideo Namiki, President
Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations
February 20111

Opening Remarks of Hideo Namiki
December 10, 2010
Chairman, Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations
President, Japan Lumber Inspection and Research Association
As the Chairman of the Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations, and member of the Board of Directors of the Japan
Lumber Inspection and Research Association, I would like to takethis opportunity to welcome you all and to say a few words about
this Symposium.
Before all else, I wish to welcome the many participants who
have joined us in the International Symposium on Legality Verified
Wood 2010 to be held over the two-day period of today and tomorrow. I would like to extend a special welcome and to express
my gratitude to the presenters, panelists, and numerous participants that have traveled long distances from Indonesia, Sarawakin Malaysia, China, the European Union, and the United States tobe with us here. Please allow me to also welcome Director-General Yoshitsugu Minagawa of the Forestry Agency, to whom we are
deeply indebted for his constant guidance and advice, for making time in his very busy schedule
to attend this Symposium.
This Symposium was organized with a view to eradicating illegal logging from the world. Morespecifically, it is our earnest hope that this Symposium will lend fresh impetus to activities against
illegal logging by providing a forum for presenting and discussing the measures being taken in
Japan and the other participating countries, and that these discussions will contribute to the development of shared awareness and cooperation in these activities. Four and a half years havepassed since Japan’s forestry, lumber, and wood industries launched their full-fledged activities
against illegal logging in 2006. It was in February 2006 that the Forestry Agency of Japan issued
the Guideline for Verification on Legality and Sustainability of Wood and Wood Products. The
Guideline was drafted to promote measures taken by the Japanese government mandating procurement by government, etc. of legality and sustainability verified wood and wood products inaccordance with the Law on Promoting Green Purchasing.
Responding to these government actions and policies, Japan’s forestry, lumber, and wood industry associations and other related organizations came together in 2006 to establish industrywide voluntary mechanisms and arrangements to ensure compliance with the Guideline of theForestry Agency with an aim to creating systems for supplying wood and wood products whose
legality and sustainability have been verified and to promoting the use and proliferation of suchproducts. We are also engaged in introducing and informing other countries of the various systems and activities that have been undertaken in Japan for legality verification. Among these
activities is the Action Plan formulated by Japan and Indonesia for promoting countermeasuresagainst illegal logging. Based on this Action Plan, our two countries are cooperating in the development of wood traceability technologies.
This two-day Symposium is organized around presentations on issues related to illegal logging
with the aim of stimulating an active and frank exchange of views among participants. It is ourmost earnest hope that these discussions will promote activities against illegal logging in countries throughout the world. In closing, I wish to state that our highest goal is the elimination of illegal logging from the face of the earth, and our ultimate dream is that symposiums such as this will
become completely unnecessary in the future.
Thank you.
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Congratulatory Address from Yoshitsugu Minagawa, Director-General of the Forestry Agency
Friday, December 10, 2010
I extend to you my heartfelt congratulations on successfully holding the International Symposium on Legality Verified Wood 2010.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all participants for your understanding and cooperation in the promotion of forestry administration. It is my great pleasure to note the presence of many distinguishedguests. From Indonesia, we have with us Dr. Agus Justianto, Director, Forest Utilization and Production Planning of Ministry of Forestry, and 31 other participants
representing the Ministry of Forestry and the forestry industry of Indonesia. From
the State of Sarawak in Malaysia, we have here with us 13 representatives ofgovernment agencies and the forestry industry. Other guests in this symposiuminclude participants from the United States, China, and Europe.
As you well know, the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (COP 16) is currently taking place in Mexico. Forestry related issues constitute one of theimportant subjects of the Conference, with special emphasis on the pressing question of how to cope with
deforestation in developing countries from the perspective of climate change.
Illegal logging is one of the factors directly contributing to deforestation and forest degradation. Not only
does illegal logging damage the forest ecosystem but it is also widely acknowledged to pose a major challenge to maintaining biodiversity and pursuing sustainable forestry management.
Yet another problem of illegal logging is that it supplies wood to the international markets at unfairly low
prices that do not properly reflect costs. This upsets the distribution of wood in Japan and other wood consuming countries, raising fears of a seriously negative impact on forestry and forestry industries.
Reflecting its adherence to the basic principle that “We will not use illegally logged wood,” Japan has
taken positive action against illegal logging. For instance, based on the provisions of the Law on Promoting
Green Purchasing, in fiscal 2000 Japan introduced measures mandating government procurement of legality and sustainability verified wood and wood products. Considerable progress has been made in related areas. A system has been developed for supplying “Gohowood,” or legality verified wood, with approximately
7,700 businesses throughout Japan currently participating.
Based on the Joint Announcement and Action Plan concerning countermeasures to illegal logging signed
by Japan and Indonesia in 2003, our two countries are working jointly to develop various technologies, suchas a wood tracking system.
During this symposium, I understand that various presentations will be given on programs being implemented in Japan, as well as presentations on initiatives being pursued by such wood producing countries
as Indonesia and Malaysia, and by such wood consuming countries as the European Union and the UnitedStates.
I believe this symposium provides an excellent opportunity for all participants to share information on
countermeasures to illegal logging in Japan and other countries. It is my most earnest hope that this gathering and sharing of information will add greater momentum to activities aimed at eliminating illegally loggedwood from the markets of the world.
The United Nations has designated 2011 as the International Year of Forests. We welcome this designation as a valuable opportunity to raise global awareness of the importance of sustainable forestry management and preservation. We also look forward to the International Year of Forests to inform the people ofJapan and the rest of the world of our undertakings aimed at rehabilitating Japan’s forests and forestry industry.
I would like to conclude my remarks by extending to you my best wishes for the success of everyone
gathered here today and to request the continued cooperation of all participants in promoting countermeasures to illegal logging.
Thank you.

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Outline of the Symposium
1.

Background and purpose

The Japanese Government included wood and wood products verified as being legallyand sustainably produced (hereinafter referred to as Gohowood) in its Law on Promoting
Green Purchasing in 2006. Since then the wood industries in Japan have endeavored toprovide Gohowood in accordance with the “Guideline for verifying the legality and sustainability of wood and wood products,” announced by the Forestry Agency. Gohowood
is now recognized in the Japanese market as a base index for green procurement of construction companies, and local and national government.
In Indonesia, wood traceability system developing program under the action plan forthe cooperation in combating illegal logging and the trade in illegally logged timber andwood products between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan and
the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia started in 2004 brings fruitful outputs. In other producer countries or areas, some types of legality secure traceability systems installed towood and wood products markets.
Those activities have introduced a credible and distributable system for verifying Goho(=legal) wood and wood products in international symposiums1.
Activities to combat illegal logging are spreading not only in timber producing countries, but also consuming countries including the EU and the US. It is important to share
Japan’s experiences including those concerning Gohowood.
In this context, the International Symposium on Legally Verified Wood 2010 -Activities
in Japan to tackle illegal logging issues- will be held to introduce activities in Japan and toclarify the meaning of Gohowood in the context of global activities.

1

International Seminar in Tokyo for Tackling Illegal Logging,2007- Response of the world to theProcurement Policies of Japan - 26(Mon) - 27(Tue) February, 2007 (http://www.goho-wood.jp/
world/event/event1-1.html)
International seminar for tackling illegal logging, 2007 II in Yokohama “A credible and distributablesystem for verifying Goho(=legal) wood and wood products” December 3 & 4, 2007 (http://
www.goho-wood.jp/world/event/event5-report.html)
The Roundtable Meeting on Gohowood targeting the G8 Summit was held on 27 June, in Tokyo(http://www.goho-wood.jp/world/event/conference1.html)

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2.

Outline of the Symposium

(1)

Tile:

International Symposium on Legality Verified Wood 2010
-Activities in Japan to tackle illegal logging issues-

(2)

Date:

December 10(Fri.)-11(Sat.), 2010

(3)

Venue:

Tokyo Fashion Town Hall 500(Neighborhood of Tokyo Big Sight, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo)(4)

Organizers: Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations
Japan Lumber Inspection & Research Association
Sponsors: The Forestry Agency of Japan
Ministry of the Environment of Japan(5)

Program
Opening Session:
Part One:
Development and Operation of Wood Traceability System
Part Two:
Activities in Japan to Tackle Illegal Logging Issues
Gohowood Promotion Project and Recent Development in the Japanese Market (The Forestry Agency)(Timber Industry Associations, Housing Industry, Consumer Grope, Environmental NGO etc.)
Part Three: Panel Discussion
Japan’s Legality Verifi cation Efforts and International Measures to
Combat Illegal Logging: Developments and Future Prospects
Panelists: Invited guests from Indonesia, Malaysia , China, the EU andthe US(6)

Joint Event
A poster presentation will be held in the corner of the same meeting room for “Allabout Imported Gohowood -Summary of the verification of Gohowood of imported
timber products “(7)Expected Participants (two hundred)
Related persons from the Administration Organization/ Timber Industries/ Housing
Industries/ Consumer Organizations/ Environmental NGO/ Academic Organizations/
Diplomatic Organizations in Tokyo/(8)

Language
Japanese/ English simultaneous translation
5

6

7

Part 1
Development and Operating of Wood
Traceability System for Legality
Verification of Wood andWood Products, and Relational Policies(Outline only)Part 1 Development and Operating of Wood Traceability System for Legality
Verification of Wood and Wood Products, and Relational Policies (Outline)

Part 1 of the international symposium, “Development and Operating of Wood Traceability System for Legality Verification of Wood and Wood Products, and Relational Policies,”
was held based on the results of a project on the development and commercialization ofwood traceability technologies that can be introduced to Indonesia, based on an Action
Program set by Japan and Indonesia in June 2003 for cooperation in combating illegal
logging and the trade in illegally logged timber and wood products. This part of the symposium was sponsored by the Japan Lumber Inspection & Research Association (JLIRA).
The proceedings are summarized as follows. (JLIRA has prepared a separate report ofPart 1, as the sponsor. Please refer to the report for details.)
Following greetings from the sponsor by JLIRA President Ryuichi Goto, JLIRA General
Manager Ryo Sasaki introduced the overall contents of the project in his presentation“Wood Traceability System: Developing and Operating.” Mr. Sasaki explained the maincontents of Part 1 – introducing efforts in the two countries Indonesia and Malaysia, considering the importance of traceability in combating the illegal logging problem – and explained the development of the traceability system in Indonesia, which has been moving
forward since 2004.
Next came two reports from the Indonesian side, Mr. Maidiward, Directorate of Forest
Products Processing and Marketing, Ministry of Forestry, the Republic of Indonesia, presented a report entitled “Indonesian Timber Legality Assurance System,” and Mr. Alan
Purbawiyatna of the Indonesia Ecolabelling Institute (LEI) spoke about the “Wood Traceability System Operating in Indonesia.”
The former report explained the contents of the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS)
which Indonesia has developed in collaboration with consumer countries, and how Indonesia will use TLAS as means to realize sustainable forestry management. The latter report presented an outline of the traceability system which Indonesia has jointly advancedwith Japan covering logs right from the felling site. TLAS is being implemented as a system which generates merits for forest managers, governments, and consumers.

Next from the State of Sabah in Malaysia Mr. Len Talif Salleh, (Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Planning and Resource Management; Director of Forests, Forest Department, State of Sarawak; Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Sarawak Forestry)
presented a report entitled “Legality Verification of Logs in Sarawak.” Mr. Talif Salleh, who
is responsible for this issue at the government of Sarawak, which is the center of timber
exports from Malaysia to Japan, gave a detailed explanation of the State of Sarawak’s legality verification system and the basis for certificate issuance.
The Part 1 presentations were followed by a question and answer session with the conference participants.

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Part 2
Japanese Activities of Wood Legality
Verification
and Tackling Illegal Logging Issue

International symposium 2010 day 2 greetings from Chairman Okuma
Motoaki Okuma, Chairman,
Council for Tackling Illegal Logging and Promotion of Goho-wood

Efforts to Supply Legality Verified Woodand Significance of this International Symposium

Thank you for the introduction.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for joining this second day of our international symposium program, from the early morning. Our second day program focuses on
countermeasures to illegal logging, centered on Japan’s efforts for certification of gohowood, or legality verified wood. Five years have passed since the Japanese government
decided to purchase legality verified wood products on a preferential basis and the woodindustry began working to supply them. This is also our fifth international symposium.
For a brief history of the symposium, please refer to the distributed material. The first international seminar took place in February 2007. In 2008, we held the Roundtable Meeting on Goho-wood toward the G8 Summit, “Discussions with Members of GLOBE International on Future Measures for a Legal Wood Supply System.”Feb. 2007 International Seminar in Tokyo for Tackling Illegal Logging, 2007: Response of the World to the Procurement Policies of Japan
Dec. 2007 International Seminar for Tackling Illegal Logging, 2007 II in Yokohama: A
Credible and Distributable System for Verifying Goho (=legal) wood and Wood Products
June 2008 Roundtable Meeting on Goho-wood for the G8 Summit: Discussions withMembers of GLOBE International on Future Measures for a Legal Wood Supply
SystemDec. 2009 The 2009 Symposium on the Promotion of Wood and Wood Productswith Verified Legality: Goho-wood Efforts to Address the Illegal Logging Problem

15

We have held these international symposiums consistently maintaining a stance toward
expanding imports of legality-verified wood based on the Forestry Agency guidelines, andthus contributing to the illegal logging countermeasures of each country.
Through these efforts, I think that the Japanese approach has gained some position within the international activities. This is shown by the acceptance of the term goho-woodwith the key concept of being widely applicable.
Wood and wood products pass through complex processing and distribution routes, and
it is not possible to efficiently check all products at several processing locations. Thus
Chain of Custody (CoC) systems become necessary. These certify businesses engaged inprocessing and distribution, and entrust them with providing information on legality andsustainability.
The FSC, PEFC, SGEC, and other forest certification bodies have designed frameworks
to guarantee the credibility of certified businesses using third-party inspections. However, having an industry body provide CoC certification is original to the Forestry Agency
guidelines. We think this is very important from the standpoint of being widely applicableand efficient.
Our intention is to express the universality and importance of this approach by using theterm goho-wood. The participants at the Roundtable Meeting with members of GLOBEInternational kindly understood this term. We hope you will give further consideration to
Japan s legality verified wood supply system.
This year s symposium is also significant in that it is being held at a critical time when the
demand for goho-wood is expanding in the Japanese market. Moreover, the act to promote the use of wood in public buildings came into effect from this autumn, and I thinkthat is also an important factor. I would like you to note how goho-wood procurement hasgone beyond the government, and is now also expanding in the private sector.
Another characteristic is the establishment of countermeasures to illegal logging as policies in the United States and Europe as consumption countries. Those will also be introduced here today.
I hope we can examine the illegal logging problem and our future approaches at this symposium, amid the international developments. I look forward to your enthusiastic participation throughout today s program, to make this a successful symposium.
Thank you very much for your attention.

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Outline of Supply of Legality Verified Wood

17

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Keynote Report Summary
Makoto Ozawa
Wood Trade Office, Forestry Agency of Japan

Japan’s Experience in Addressing Illegal Logging

Report Outline

In this keynote report, I will explain Japan’s experience in addressing illegal logging. The
presentations following this report will introduce the efforts of individual dealers and consumers.
This keynote report today has three main themes:
1.
2.
3.

Japan’s efforts;
The progress made so far; andNext steps

The basic principle of Japan’s efforts is not to use illegally harvested timber.
Japan is advancing domestic and international efforts based on the understanding that
promoting the use of legality verified wood will reduce the use of illegally harvested timber.
1.

2.

As domestic measures, the Law on Promoting Green Purchasing requires government organs to procure legality verified wood, and a guideline has been set for that
purpose.
Japan depends on imports for approximately 70% of its wood, so measures for imported wood are essential. Japan is engaged in bilateral and multilateral efforts to
expand legality verified wood. As introduced in an earlier report, the bilateral efforts
include the development of a wood traceability system in Indonesia, and the holding of experts meetings with Malaysia. We have also made progress in relations with
China, as I will explain later. In multilateral efforts, the International Tropical Timber
Organization (ITTO) with 60 member states including both production and consumption countries is implementing diverse projects mostly in the production countries,
and Japan is providing support predominantly to those projects related to measures
to address illegal logging.

The Law on Promoting Green Purchasing is leading our efforts to promote the procurement of legality verified wood. Specifically, the law designates paper, stationary, materials

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for public works and other items as eco-friendly goods which must be given priority ingovernment procurement. The verification of the legality and sustainability of wood andwood products follow the guidelines published in 2006. The guidelines stipulate the following three methods of verification.
1.

2.

3.

Certifi cation of sustainable forest management through forest certifi cation, withverification that the wood and wood products are, or are processed from, wood harvested from certified forests.
Certification of businesses by industry associations based on voluntary codes ofconduct. This method is the most common, with a chain of custody of businesses
certified by related associations at each distribution stage from the forest (upstream)
to the consumers (downstream).
Verification by individual companies disclosing their standards and processes.

Performance

The progress achieved from 2006 through 2009 is summarized as follows.
•

Number of certifying associations: 108 ⇒ 140•

Number of certified companies: 4,900 ⇒ 7,600(The certified companies include distributors, processors, and importers).

•

Share of legality verified domestic round wood (percentage of certified wood in total
shipments of certified companies) 40% ⇒ 63%

The total domestic wood materials production volume is on the order of 17 million cubic meters, of which around 4 million cubic meters, or more than 20%, are legality verified wood. Excluding timber from forest thinning, which is not subject to certification, theshare is around 30%. The share of legality verified imported plywood is 75%.
In the expansion of bilateral cooperation and dialogue, I would like to mention cooperation with China. The pie chart shows Japan’s 2009 wood and wood products imports on
a value basis. The value of imports from China is the highest. By volume, there are large
imports from Australia and other countries, but the imports from China consist of highly
processed products with high unit value and thus have the highest value. China is a processing trade country which imports round wood and exports processed wood products,
so measures are also required where China sources its wood imports. At the Third JapanChina High-Level Economic Dialogue in August 2010, substantial agreement was reached
on a memorandum for Japan-China cooperation on measures to combat illegal logging,and on taking action. In private-level activities, I understand that there was an exchangewith the Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations last week, and I am looking forward to Mr. Zhu’s report on efforts in China in Part 3 with deep interest.
Turning to the future issues and the direction of future efforts, first we want to further
strengthen our efforts to date via complete implementation of green purchasing by publicorgans. Second, we want to spread green purchasing to private businesses and consum-

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ers. It is particularly important for consumers to know green purchasing. Third, we want toimprove the credibility of legality verification.
As for the first issue, the complete implementation of government efforts is being promoted with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Plan to Promote the Use ofWood, which includes numerical targets. There was also a great step forward this year. A
new law, the Act for Promotion of Use of Wood in Public Buildings, has been in force from
October 1, 2010. In addition to setting the basic policy for the use of wood in public buildings, this Act also stipulates promoting the use of wood structures and wooden finishingas much as possible in public use buildings and public buildings including governmentbuildings, retirement homes, and gymnasiums. In Japan to date the building fire prevention regulations have been very strict, especially for public buildings and other locations
where people gather. Revisions to these regulations are now being advanced so that government policy will basically specify the use of wood structures for low-height buildings
with three stories or less, and promote the use of wooden finishing (the use of wood ininteriors, etc.) for other buildings. Moreover, the basic policy clearly stipulates promoting
the use and supply of legality verified wood. The arrangement of the supply system forlegality verified wood is becoming necessary amid these efforts to advance the procurement of goods with a low environmental load as much as possible.
As for the second issue, spreading green purchasing to private businesses and consumers, in addition to approaching supply business close to final consumers, presentations
are also being made at such events as Eco Products Exhibitions. This year s exhibition istaking place right now at the adjacent Tokyo Big Sight. In the use of media, strengthening
information provision, especially via the Internet, is an important issue. Little information
has been provided about legality verified wood in Japan so far. In particular, there are few
English-language web pages, so intensive efforts are being planned for the current fiscal year. Efforts to promote the use of legality verified wood in housing include a systemfor preferential treatment in the construction of long-term quality housing. The Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is spearheading this system. The lifetime ofJapanese housing is exceptionally short, so this system provides preferential measures
for the use of legality verified wood in long-term quality housing which meets certain standards. I understand it has been effective in spreading awareness of legality verified woodin the private sector. Through such measures, we seek to gain broader recognition of legality verified wood.
Finally in the third issue, improving the credibility of legality verification, we are focusing
our efforts this year on the compilation of databases. We plan to compile databases forthe legal (goho) wood navigation web page with such information as the names of individuals involved with legality verification, and the volumes being handled. The main point isto provide web access to information on individuals and organizations dealing with legality verified wood. The second point is to boost transparency so that businesses can easily
see the results of handling legality verified wood and the social responsibility.
To summarize, the basic stance in Japan is to respect the autonomy of the wood industry,
and to further strengthen and expand its efforts. The merits of this approach include easy
participation both inside and outside Japan, and low costs so that regulation does not22lead to higher wood prices or increase the government burden. The cost issue is particularly important. In Japan, wood can easily be replaced by other materials, and if measures
to address illegal logging increase wood prices, then they might actually obstruct the useof wood, which is an environmentally friendly material. For that reason, to promote theuse of legality verified wood, cost increases must be avoided. As for the government burden, while the government is implementing such efforts as holding these types of symposiums and compiling databases for monitoring, it would be difficult for the government tobear any additional burden. It is desirable to take what actions we can with a comparatively low government burden, so the cooperation of domestic businesses is very important.
The future direction is summarized in this slide regarding the expansion of both the supply and demand for legality verified wood. The upper half of the slide presents quantitative measures for expanding supply and demand, while the lower half shows qualitative
measures to improve credibility. In this way, we want to increase the use of legality verified wood on the wood market by both increasing quantity and improving quality. In particular, on the demand side the awareness of legality wood among consumers in generalremains low. Accordingly, we are now examining labeling measures for legality-verified
wood products whereby consumers could make choices on the market. We are working
to further expand the distribution of legality verified wood through such approaches, andwe will continue striving as an organization involved with legality verification in Japan.

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Japanese Activities for Legality Verified Wood Products and Purchases● Presenter Information
Name

Yoshikazu Matahira

Affiliation

Shizuoka Prefectural Federation of Lumber
Co-operative Association

Title

Managing Director

Careersummary

1977 Entered Shizuoka Prefectural Federation ofLumber Co-operative Association
1979 Seconded to Shizuoka Prefecture Indonesia
Corp. as director
1984 Returned to Shizuoka Prefectural Federation ofLumber Co-operative Association as planning
section chief
2001 Appointed as advisor
2009 Appointed as managing director● Report Outline
Title: Promoting a Joint Government-Wood Producers Certification System● Report Summary
1. Coordinated Administration of Certificates of Origin and Goho-wood Certification
In Shizuoka Prefecture, while cooperating with government policies to promote local production for local consumption, we are advancing efforts toward constructing a system for thelegal and cyclical use of forest resources in the wood industry through joint administration of
the Shizuoka Prefecture wood products certification system*1 established by Shizuoka Prefecture in FY2002 and the goho-wood supplier certification system established by the Shizuoka
Prefectural Federation of Lumber Co-operative Association (hereafter, “Prefectural Lumber
Federation”) in FY2006 based on the Forestry Agency guidelines.
Concrete measures for goho-wood were launched in FY2006. Shizuoka Prefecture changed
its basic policy on the procurement of prefectural environmental products, and the prefecture,
the Prefectural forestry federation, the Prefectural Lumber Federation and individual lumber
cooperative associations are jointly administering the group certification system.
Based on consideration of the supply conditions for goho-wood, Shizuoka Prefecture madecertificates of origin and goho-wood certification requirements for wood used in its public
works and in the subsidy program for housing using local materials*2 as part of the prefectures procurement policy from FY2010, following trial implementation in FY2009.
From 2010, certificates of origin were also made requirements in assistance programs for27housing using local materials independently established by the City of Shizuoka, Hamamatsu
City, and other local cities and towns. So certification systems have rapidly spread in the domestic lumber field.
Meanwhile, the supply of legality verified imported wood is also beginning to gain momentum, with the addition of a category for local resources use (the provision of additional subsidies for houses using at least 50 percent legality verified wood in the building frame) under theLong-term Superior Housing Promotion Project implemented by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism from FY2010.

2. Strict Management Using Outside Inspectors
To make the group certification system for smaller suppliers more reliable, the Prefectural
Lumber Federation accepts certification applications, with membership as a requirement tobecome a certified supplier, at our individual member associations. The Prefectural Lumber
Federation is working toward strengthening the cooperative structure, while boosting industry
solidarity.
To those ends, the Prefectural Lumber Federation has sought outside experts for all ourcertifying inspectors, right from the establishment of the goho-wood system. We are working
to secure the reliability and transparency of the system through (1) strict certification inspection committees, (2) practical training sessions for the managers of certified suppliers, (3) site
inspections of certified suppliers and (4) tracing inspections on public works projects. And
to spread the certification system and publicize goho-wood we hold (5) system explanation
meetings for designers and contractors and (6) housing exhibitions and goho-wood fairs forthe general public.
Separate operations inspections and periodic inspections are also implemented on public
works ordered by the prefecture for the certificate of origin system for prefectural wood, whichis administered in coordination with the goho-wood certification system. The credibility of thesystem for certifying wood produced in the prefecture is rising further.

3. Administrative Issues and Future Direction
The issues regarding the various certification bodies have become apparent from the actual
state of certification of suppliers in the prefecture. Specifically, because various bodies exist
that certify goho-wood suppliers, the certification bodies must accept applications using suitable judgment criteria, such as (1) by administrative territory (national and prefectural), and (2)by industry or business category (industry organizations and the Prefectural Lumber Federation); disclose related information and otherwise recognize their respective responsibilities androles; and seek a division of duties accordingly.
Preferential policies to support the use of certified forest (FSC) lumber in public works projects ordered by the major cities of the prefecture began from FY2010, and wood industry
members in the cities surrounding areas are now considering applying for FSC certification(CoC group certification) in addition to group certification, which verifies legality.

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Considering these trends, the Prefectural Lumber Federation aims to clarify the contribution
to resolving environmental problems through the correct operation of the certification system,and to link this to strengthening solidarity in the wood industry through smooth system administration while gaining consumer understanding.
The position of legality verified wood has become clear as the act to promote the use ofwood in public buildings came into effect from this autumn. The Prefectural Lumber Federation will take advantage of this opportunity to redouble our efforts toward ensuring the transparency and credibility of our group certification system, which has now entered its fifth year.

*1. Shizuoka Prefecture wood products certification system (in Japanese)(http://www.s-mokuren.com/seido.html).
*2. Shizuoka superior wood materials housing support project (in Japanese)(http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/sangyou/sa-380/index.html).

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Japanese Activities for Legality Verified Wood Products and Purchases● Presenter Information
Name

Yasuhiro Ohashi

Affiliation

Japan Lumber Importers’ Association (JLIA)

Title

Executive Director

CareerSummary

1970: Entered Sumitomo Corporation, Timber
Department, Southsea Timber Section (based inTokyo; primarily engaged in the import and salesof southsea wood [logs, lumber and plywood]
through postings to the Philippines, Malaysia
and Indonesia).
2000: Seconded to Sumisho Kenzai (the present
Sumisho & Mitsuibussan Kenzai Co., Ltd.)
2004: Retired from Sumitomo Corporation and was
appointed JLIA Executive Director. Presently also
serving as a member of the Council for Tackling
Illegal Logging and Promotion of Goho-wood[legal wood]● Report Outline
Title: Import and Supply of Legality Verified Wood: Current Conditions and Issues
For 34 years after entering Sumitomo Corporation (Timber Department) in 1970, I was primarily engaged in the import and sales of southsea timber (logs, lumber and plywood), withpostings in Davao, Kota Kinabalu, Sibu and Jakarta. I have served in my present post since2004. The Japan Lumber Importers’ Association (JLIA) operates with membership fees fromour members, who handle timber and building materials, and our main work is to provide information to our members. We also exchange information and opinions with the Japanese
government (the Forestry Agency) and with domestic and foreign industry associations as arepresentative of Japan’s main timber importers. I have participated in efforts to establish a
supply system for legality verified wood right from the start as a member of the commission
for tackling illegal logging.
JLIA members import about 60% of the major timber items imported into Japan. Almost
all JLIA members have become JLIA authorized goho-wood suppliers in accordance with theForestry Agency guidelines to establish a supply system for goho-wood. Goho-wood is wood
granted legality certificates individually for specific shipments based on the Forestry Agency
guidelines.
In carrying out the prerequisite training and monitoring of members, it became clear to JLIA
that while there is strong demand for legality certified wood from manufacturers using logs as
raw materials, demand from the wholesalers and distributors who purchase those products isstill weak, with ample room for growth. We also found that the certification demand for tropical30

timber is greater than that for timber from conifers.
Amid the stagnant demand for legality certified wood from domestic distributors, for thetime being many JLIA members are issuing legality certificates to those purchasers who demand them on a priority basis. Meanwhile, JLIA members are requesting exporters to provide
legality certificates because the demand for certificates is expected to increase in the futureand because they need to be able to respond if certificates are requested after sales are completed. However, while some exporters voluntarily issue legality certificates, other exporters
are reported to be reluctant to meet the buyers’ requests.
As written in the Forestry Agency Guidelines, the first methods of verifying legality are theforest certification system and the chain of custody (CoC) certification system. The second
method is to become JLIA certified. JLIA members are already certified through this second
method, but they also work to gain CoC certification to be certified under the first method aswell. The majority of JLIA members have already gained FSC and/or PEFC-CoC certification,and the number of such certifications has been rising over the past few years in particular. In
fact, JLIA members who have obtained CoC certification account for 80-90% of the total volume of wood imports by JLIA members, so at JLIA a forest certified wood supply system isbeing established.
Japan’s Long-Life Quality Housing Law and the Act for Promotion of Use of Wood in Public
Buildings call for the use of legality verified wood, and the private sector is also taking measures to shift to eco panels, green lumber and other sustainable materials. Amid this trend,
JLIA reconfirmed its commitment to the positive procurement and domestic supply of legality verified wood at our annual general meeting. In the sense that the legality certifications arelinked, the verification method used by JLIA authorized suppliers has the same effect as theverification method used in the forest certification system and the CoC certification system.
To ensure the reliability of the system, all JLIA authorized suppliers need to accurately understand the verification system and make proper use of it. For that reason, JLIA seeks to educate members by visiting every member once every eighteen months and offering training for
managers as well as persons in charge. At the same time, JLIA also evaluates JLIA authorized
suppliers’ measures through monitoring. In these ways, we seek to maintain and improve thereliability of the system. As a result, a trend has arisen among JLIA members to shift to a proactive policy of domestic sales of imported legality verified wood specifically as legality verified wood, rather than waiting for a spike in the demand for legality verified wood.
To boost the effectiveness of these Japanese efforts, however, it is critical that exporters
understand Japan’s approach and supply legality verified wood. Fortunately, some exporting
countries have their own public CoC systems, and I understand that many of the main exporting countries are managing forests on a sustainable basis so we expect that legality is verified
by forest certification and CoC certification under a third-party certification system. With CoC
certification, simply stipulating that a shipment is CoC certified wood and writing the certification number on the shipping documents make the documents into a legality certificate.
Sometimes only a copy of the CoC certificate is submitted, but that is not enough, because
a legality certificate (completed shipping documents) is required for each shipment under theForestry Agency guidelines. We sincerely hope that exporting countries will actively issue legality certificates and cooperate with our efforts in Japan to take the lead in spreading the useof legality verified wood.

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Japanese Activities for Legality Verified Wood Products and Purchases● Presenter Information
Name

Sayumi Takahashi

Affiliation

North Japan Wood Material Distribution Cooperative

Title

Managing Director

Careersummary

1984 Graduated from Hokkaido University, School ofFisheries Sciences, Fisheries Department(major in bio-resources)
1987 Graduated from Hokkaido University, Faculty ofAgriculture, Forestry Department(major in forestry accounting)
1987–2002 Nice Corporation, foreign wood division(posted to Portland, Oregon 1994–1998)
2004 to present
North Japan Wood Material Distribution Cooperative● Report Outline
Approaches to Wood Legality Verification as a Domestic Log Supplier
A. North Japan Wood Material Distribution Cooperative
Our wood material distribution cooperative was established on April 1, 2003, by materials
producers and associated organizations in Iwate Prefecture.
At that time, there was no market for small-diameter, bent, and short timber unfit for regularlumber and other grade B wood, which was left in piles at logging sites. Our cooperative wasestablished to arrange large-lot, stable supply of material to plywood plants located in coastal
Iwate Prefecture. We are now engaged in joint sales of wood produced by cooperative members to plywood factories in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Akita Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, and Hokkaido.
In FY2003, our first year, the cooperative had 27 members with joint sales of 26,000 cubic
meters. In FY2009, the cooperative had 98 members with joint sales of 222,000 cubic meters.
B. Goho-wood Certification Efforts
1. Legality Verified Wood Supply Trends
Our cooperative understands that wood materials producers are at the starting line of legality verified wood certification, as the origin of wood distribution. We have advanced efforts forthe goho-wood system right from the start under the direction of the National Federation ofWood Material Producers Cooperatives, the central organization to which we belong, advised
our members as a certification body, and have now certified all 100 of our members as gohowood suppliers. We also explain to new members that all logs that the cooperative jointly sells
to plywood factories are goho-wood, and that certification as a goho-wood supplier is a prerequisite to joining the cooperative.

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2. Efforts to Secure Credibility, and Evaluation
We require all goho-wood suppliers to attend training lectures, and have them acquire
knowledge regarding the goho-wood system. Our certification renewal training last year was
conducted together with two other certifying bodies, and we held a separate additional training session for members with no prior training. We also distribute a goho-wood handbook
and a video “Japan’s Actions against Illegal Logging” to new members for self-study, and certify them after their self-study is completed. The self-study is confirmed through submission of“self-study reports” with answers to questions regarding the goho-wood system.
As the basis for goho-wood certification, we urge members to submit upon log production
and shipment copies of government documents (notification of legal logging, protected forest
logging permits, national or prefecture-owned forest standing timber sales contracts, etc.) thatare the proof of legality. We file these documents and regularly compare them with shipment
documents to the plywood plants. This is to ensure that all the raw materials are goho-wood.
Meanwhile, at the logging sites we call for safety measures and for clear signage identifying
the businesses conducting the logging.
3. Certificate Use
The certified supplier number and the phrase “from a sustainable forest” are submitted together to plywood factories on delivery slips, in lieu of certificates, as proof that the materials
jointly sold through the cooperative are goho-wood. The plywood factories maintain the chainof custody (CoC) by attaching copies of our cooperative’s delivery slips together with theircertificates, in response to requests from trading companies and housing suppliers for gohowood certification.
4. Issues
While the use of goho-wood certifi cates is spreading at plywood factories, paper mills,
large-scale lumber and laminated wood factories, certificates are often not requested for shipments to local, medium and small lumber plants, and many suppliers still do not voluntarily
issue certificates. We must make further efforts both upstream and downstream to advanceeducation on the importance and advantages of goho-wood.
Turning to the maintenance of management books and other documents, almost all the
suppliers conduct receipt, shipment, and inventory management by binding their shipping
slips (in place of certificates). The individual suppliers require highly detailed guidance.

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Wood Buyer’s/Consumer’s Activities in Japan● Presenter Information
Name

Tokiharu Okazaki

Affiliation

Friends of the Earth (FoE) Japan

Title

Secretary General

Careersummary

Responsible for plant exports at a heavy electric machinery manufacturer for over 30 years.
Entered FoE Japan after retirement. Engaged in preparing policy proposals for such fi elds as environmental
and social considerations in climate change and overseas economic cooperation. Attended the 2002 World
Summit on Sustainable Development as a councilor to
the Japanese government delegation.

● Report Outline
Title: Campaign to Spread the Procurement of Fair Wwood (wood which does not destroy
forests)
Report Summary
Brief Self-Introduction
FoE Japan participated in the 1999 WTO (from the standpoint of opposing timber trade liberalization) together with the Japan Federation of Wood-industry Associations and the National
Federation of Forest Owners’ Cooperative Association. Since that time, we have pursued
measures against illegal logging and promoted the use of domestic timber from the NGO perspective.
Efforts for Legal Wood by Your Organization
We have been promoting the use of legal wood, wood which does not destroy forests, andwood from sustainable managed forests among (1) the central government and local government bodies, (2) private enterprises, and (3) consumers ever since. “pPromotion of fFair woodamong all stratasector of Japanese society” was selected by the Ministry of the Environment
as a Best Policy Proposal in 2004 (one of two proposals selected that year). We were deeply
involved with preparing the government wood purchasing guidelines during the revision of the
Law on Promoting Green Purchasing.
In our work with the private sector, we have provided support to Sekisui House, Ltd. and otherhousing suppliers in compiling wood procurement policies, and supported fFair wood procurement by furniture manufacturers. We have also been advancing public (consumer) education and promotion through the (Fairwood Café) for the past two years.

38Evaluation of Japan’s Supply of Legal WoodFoE Japan’s forestry team began from works to conserve forests in the Russian Far East, andour measures against illegal logging began from conservation of tropical forests in Indonesia.
As for Russia, the Japan Federation of Wood-industry Associations and the import industry
have also implemented countermeasures, and it may be said that direct imports of illegallylogged wood have dramatically decreased. Regarding Indonesia, we understand that the mixing of illegally logged wood in plywood and other wood products has greatly decreased aswell, thanks to government and industry level efforts.
Significance of Efforts Together with the Wood Industry Based on Consumer Trends
FoE Japan’s initial efforts were with the Ministry of the Environment, but developed into illegal logging countermeasures involving the wood industry as well when the Forestry Agency
got the wood industry involved after the issue was addressed by the G8. We are proud thatthe information that we have gathered from around the world as an international environmental NGO is proving useful in terms of both quantity and quality. Our fFair wood activities are
unique for an environmental NGO as they are a joint undertaking with industry, but we thinkthey have proven effective.
Our public (consumer) and local public body education and promotion activities, however, still
have a long way to go. The abovementioned (Fairwood Café) has been held once per month
to introduce furniture, wooden tableware, organic sweets and other items, and otherwise
make people more familiar with forests and wood, but it has not always attracted enough customersparticipants.
Future Issues
We need to expand our campaigns to reach areas that cannot be covered under the present illegal logging countermeasures.
1. Some wood products imported from China, particularly furniture and fl ooring, containwood from rare tree species. Furniture and flooring procurement guidelines are awaited.
2. In expanding the use of domestic wood, the distribution of cedar, cryptomeria, and otherconifers is getting organized, but the market and distribution for useful broad-leaved treestimbar needs to be reconstructed. While this may be considered a niche market, it is necessary to grasp the resource and demand volumes, and to construct a sustainable supply
structure and chain..
3. Turning to domestic illegal logging countermeasures, the question is, how can we revive
abandoned and unmanaged forests? If nothing is done, instead of revival, will such forests
only increase? The government’s Forest and Forestry Revitalization Plan does not include
measures to address this.
4. Western countries are beginning to introduce protection measures like so-called ke thoseunder the( Lacey Act) as border measures against illegal logging. In Japan, the government
says the time is not right for such measures, but are there any alternatives?

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Wood Buyer’s/Consumer’s Activities in Japan● Presenter Information
Name

Shinichi Nagata

Affiliation

Wooden Home Builders Association of Japan

Title

Materials Distribution Department Manager

CareersummaryEntered Matsushita Electric Works (the present Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.) in 1976; assigned tothe building products sales division. Spent the next
34 years in the sales division responsible for housing
companies and contractors, and served as the headof the Nagoya and Western Tokyo sales offi ces, andthen as the head of sales for Hokkaido. Seconded to
the Wooden Home Builders Association of Japan sinceApril 2010.

● Report Outline
Title: Toward Spreading Legality Verified Wood in the Wooden Housing Industry
I am presently responsible for the Materials Distribution Department at the Wooden Home
Builders Association of Japan. Our Association was established as a public interest corporation in 1986 to contribute to the spread and sound development of wood-frame housing. Ourchairman is Mr. Ryu Yano, the chairman of Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. We have a total of
463 member companies comprising 357 wooden housing suppliers and 106 materials manufacturers and others. Member efforts toward legality verified wood have been conspicuous
at Sumitomo Forestry, Sekisui House, Ltd., the Panasonic Group and other large firms. As avery recent development, compared with a few years ago, medium-sized firms have also been
increasingly writing about such topics as “a forest material-cycle society,” “preventing global
warming” and “CO2 sinks” on their websites, exhibiting a high level of environmental awareness, even if they do not explicitly mention certified wood.
In an Association members’ questionnaire conducted two years ago, just 9 percent of themembers were using certified wood. The possible issues at that time were (1) low recognition(2) the question of necessity, and (3) uncertain costs. Over the past two years, however, theenvironment surrounding legality verified wood has greatly changed, and it may be said thatwinds are shifting in the housing market. That shift is evident from the following four items.
1) Spread of Long-term Superior Housing Model Projects (Implemented by the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism from FY2008)• Initially in FY2008, as selection criteria, there were no comments regarding the woodenvironment, just “use of lumber and other local building materials…” but in FY2009
the phrasing was changed to “use of wood produced from sustainable forests” and“projects that have a strong ripple effect.” The expression was then changed greatly in
FY2010 to “work toward the revitalization of forest production activities and correct forest management, and build a material-cycle local economy and society” with a muchclearer and more specific stance toward certified wood.

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•Applications from a total of 119 companies in the wooden housing category were selected in five public solicitations from FY2008 through FY2010. The initiative has agreat ripple effect, as well over a thousand companies and corporate groups applied.
• Efforts by the Wooden Home Builders Association of Japan
The Association’s “Long-life Wooden Home Model” (jointly proposed with 51 smalland medium-sized Association members) was selected in FY2010, and one reason forthis is the specification that wood from sustainable forests (certified wood) is used forthe majority of the building frame.
2) Certification of Long-term Superior Housing Construction Plans (instituted from June 2009)• A cumulative total of 115,909 homes (detached houses) were certified through October2010. Since this August, an average of 9,400 houses have been certified each month,with long-term superior housing remarkably accounting for approximately 35 percent of
all new housing starts (detached houses).
3) FY 2010 Wooden Home Promotion Project (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andTourism)• 200,000 yen subsidy for the use of local legality verified materials in long-term superior
housing by small- and medium-sized housing manufacturers.
4) Promotion of Wood Use in Public Buildings• The promotion of wood use in public buildings is expected to spread wood use inbuildings in general.
(e.g.) Ministop to Open Eco-Conscious Stores (from Nikkei Shimbun, November 19, 2010)
First store to open February 2011, and with stores to increase at a pace of 20 storesper year. These stores are built using domestic certified wood.
In this way, sparked by the long-term superior housing program, housing companies can nolonger avert environmental issues as they have in the past. The recognition of certified wood is
also greatly increasing. In wooden housing, it is also becoming necessary to take special noteof certified wood produced from sustainable forests as materials.
As for the third issue noted above, which is the cost aspect, even if the increased costs are
viewed as an environmental tax, the key factor is the extent to which the cost increases canbe limited. I hope we will take advantage of this opportunity to combine our wisdom and address this.

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Wood Buyer’s/Consumer’s Activities in Japan● Presenter Information
Name

Minako Oishi

Affiliation

Nippon Association of Consumer Specialists (NACS)

Title

Vice-chairperson, Environment Committee

Careersummary

Currently vice-chairperson of the Nippon Association ofConsumer Specialists (NACS) Environment Committee.
Worked as a high school home economics teacher, andthen in a milk and rice consultation office. Actively participates in corporate stakeholder meetings and government commissions to deliver the voice of consumers
and ensure that information from enterprises and organizations properly reaches consumers.

● Report Outline
Title: Our Lifestyle is All Connected to the World: Let’s Learn about Product Life Cycles
Consumer specialists serve as a bridge linking consumers and enterprises. We feel
it is important to pay attention to the full product life cycle when selecting products
giving consideration to the environment. The NACS conducts ongoing activities toincrease, as much as possible, the number of green consumers toward the formation ofa sustainable future society through such activities as holding consumer lectures withlocal governments and participating in environmental advisory councils.
Report Summary
The NACS Environment Committee has been conducting research and activities toward theformation of a sustainable society since 1999. The Committee conducted survey research on
effective environmental labels and environmental reports as communications tools between
enterprises and consumers, and compiled the nine principles of environmental labels thatgreen consumers seek and a checklist. Also, while consumers may only be concerned about
what they can perceive directly, to select products that are truly environment-friendly it is important to take interest in entire product life cycles ranging from raw materials procurement
through to transportation, production, sales and post-use disposal and recycling. The NACS
holds consumer workshops on topics such as product life cycles and conducts other activities
to increase, as much as possible, the number of green consumers toward the achievement ofa sustainable future lifestyle.
Last year, the NACS published the pamphlet “Our Lifestyle is All Connected to the World:
Let’s Learn about Product Life Cycles” as the conclusion of three years of activities. The pamphlet is being used by environmental educators.

46

Turning to wood products, unfortunately Japanese consumers do not show strong interestin the wood sources, even though 70 percent of Japan is covered with forests. Many consumers understand that using recycled paper is good for the environment, but there are still not
many consumers who are concerned enough to ask where the timber originally came from,and how it was sourced. Yet this is due to the lack of the type of information that consumers
are interested in. No consumers want to purchase items that are bad for the environment. So
we feel the problem is the present insufficient provision of information by the suppliers.
In efforts to learn about the life cycle of paper diapers, we conducted surveys and researchon the environmental impact at each stage. Because paper diapers are disposable products,
they are believed to have large environmental effects at the logging sites where timber is cut
for the raw materials, and at places where crude oil is extracted.
While correctly informing consumers that timber from illegal logging still exists and regarding the impact from illegal logging on the natural and social environment, it is also important tomake a broad appeal, for example, with information on FSC and PEFC wood certification and
SGEC domestic wood certification as reliable standards for selection by consumers, and on
products effectively utilizing thinned lumber.
Recently, these certification labels are finally being seen on familiar items such as stationary goods, household articles, and copy paper. [If PowerPoint materials are prepared, photosof certification labels on actual products are available.] It is hoped that large volumes of legality verified wood will be used at schools and other public facilities from now on as a result of
its inclusion in the Green Purchasing Law (Act on Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly
Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities).
I visited coffee farms in Guatemala last year. My strongest impression was their explanationthat they had gained Conservation International certification at the request of Canadian consumers. Also, a farm owner who had gained Rainforest Alliance certification had done so as ameans to convey their environmentally sensitive cultivation methods and concern to consumers. Ultimately, society changes depending on what consumers demand and what consumers
choose. I think that, like others, Japanese consumers must do more to raise their voices.

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Q&A
Mr./Ms. Topicalnomi (party concerned with Indonesian forests)
In these discussions of legality verified wood and certification, there are presently various certification systems, and they are not unified or consistent. While mutual certification would be good, the systems are presently all separate. There is alsoa danger from generalization, because systems that are not credible might be included. So care must be taken if the systems are standardized. High standards areneeded. How high are the Japanese standards compared with global standards?
Mr. Toma
The Japanese certification system trusts the data provided by producers. It isa mixed system recognizing everything from easy beginning efforts to high standards. Nevertheless, we do not find this satisfactory, and we are moving to gradually step up to more certain verification and certification of sustainability. We arealso advancing mutual understanding, giving consideration to the current conditions in each country. To those ends, we have arranged opportunities such as thisseminar. I think this afternoon’s reports and panel discussions will answer yourquestion.
Mr./Ms. Alisia
I come from the Ministry of Forestry. I would like to address my question to theconsumer specialist. I understand you have been distributing questionnaire surveys to the general public because you want to deepen recognition of the certification of legality verified wood among the people. I also understand that it has beendifficult to actually heighten awareness. I think distributing a Q&A pamphlet is another good means of spreading information even further. Are you taking this kind of
approach?
Ms. Ohishi
At this point, we have not gone that far. As I mentioned in my presentation regarding the certification of coffee farms, consumer awareness regarding timber isalso growing, and we plan to conduct a consumer survey from now on.
Mr. Talif Salleh
My question is for Mr. Okazaki of FoE Japan. Thank you very much for your excellent presentation. My question concerns the Fairwood Caf . I think this is a very
good effort, but I am concerned about the content of the movies. In particular, I
want you to secure fairness in production. At times, NGO personnel just take onesided unauthorized footage and leave. While the fairness in Fairwood is surely important, I think that fair play in movie production is also important. We really want
to see the content. It would be good if people could watch good movies with faircontent at the Fairwood Caf .

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Mr. Okazaki
Thank you very much for your comment. We sometimes receive such criticism
from parties engaged in so-called business. We try to be as clear as possible
about where our footage is from, what sort of permissions was given for the filming, and when it was taken. We provide information together with the footage sothat the viewers can judge for themselves how close the images are to the truth,and if they were taken using hidden cameras. We appreciate your continued comments in the future.
Mr. Mishiba (FoE Japan)
I do not know if this is a comment or a question. I want to speak a few words asa Japanese consumer. Industry and government parties have advanced measuresfor legality verified wood, and arranged a supply system. However, we have heardthat there are business and other costs involved, and that the efforts to date havenot led to actual widespread popularization. According to UN reports, forests arestill diminishing. While this may be nobody’s fault, we have also heard that it is difficult to take action without consumer awareness without the demand from buyers. So conversely is this the consumer’s fault? I feel this basic question. Ms. Ohishi said the problem is simply that consumers are not aware, and that they would
take action if they receive information. So I would like the government and woodindustry to make greater efforts toward conveying information to consumers, rather than just beginning with approaches toward the businesses they can reach.
Mr. TomaThank you very much for your comments summarizing Part 2 of our Symposium.
We will now continue with Part 3, “Japanese Activities of Legality Verification, Development of Tackling Illegal Logging Issue and Forecasts.”51

Part 3
Japanese Activities of Legality
Verification, Development of Tackling
Illegal Logging Issue and Forecasts

Section 1 Report
Chair: Shin Nagata, Professor, Graduate School of Agricultural andLife Sciences, the University of Tokyo
born on January 13, 1952
1974.3 Bachelor of Agriculture (in Forestry) from the University ofTokyo
1976.4 Master of Agriculture (in Forestry) from the University ofTokyo
1983.5 Ph.D. (in Economics) from Yale University, New Haven, CT.
U.S.A.
1987.3 Associate Professor of Forest Policy, the University of Tokyo(-1995.5)
1987.8 Visiting Associate Professor of Economics, University of thePhilippines, Dilliman, R.P. (-1988.3)
1995.6 Professor of Forest Ecology and Society, the University ofTokyo
1996.4 Professor of Forest Policy, the University of Tokyo
Member of Council for Tackling Illegal Logging and promotion of
Goho-wood
Chairman of Sub-council for Promotion of Supply System of Legality
Verified Wood
● Report 1
Combating Illegal Logging in Indonesia● Report Outline
Name:
Listya Kusumawardhani
Report Title:
Combating Illegal Logging in Indonesia
Report Outline:
Thank you very much for your kind invitation. Today, I will explain the efforts to combat illegal logging in Indonesia.
The topics of my presentation today are as shown on this slide (Slide 2).
I will begin with information from the State Minister of Environment of the Republic of Indo-55

nesia Rachmat Witoelar.
Illegal logging in Indonesia is on a declining trend, and has decreased by 75% in the last
decade. The number of cases was 720 in 2005 and 1,705 in 2006, but only 81 cases havebeen reported so far in 2010.
This graph, which was presented earlier by one of my colleagues (Alan Purbawiyatna),shows the trend in wood raw materials. The materials supply depends on plantation forests.
The production from natural forests is declining.
This slide presents Indonesia’s framework to curb illegal logging. A presidential decree(Presidential Decree No. 4 of 2005) was issued in 2005, and 18 government organs are cooperating in measures to curb illegal logging. The Ministry of Forestry deals with forestry-related
crimes in coordination with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and other organizations. The Minister of Forestry attended the KPK meeting last Friday and discussed the Commission’s research on forest crimes.
Next, in the amendment of laws and regulations, the necessary revisions to prosecute illegal
logging are being made, and measures must be devised to strengthen law enforcement. Revisions to strengthen enforcement are required, and are presently being prepared.
Other methods being implemented include training of customs, police, and forestry officials.
The central government is preparing a rapid response forest police unit and has establisheda national task force. The efforts of the Ministry of Forestry are supported by diverse NGOs.
Curbing illegal logging has become a national commitment of the President, NGOs, and government officials.
Forest-related crimes still occur in harvesting, processing, and distribution, but the numberof cases is declining.
The legal punishments are specified in Law No. 41 of 1999, Government Regulation No. 34
of 2002 and Government Regulation No. 3 of 2003. The laws and regulations are also being
amended. The punishments are imprisonment for up to 10 years, fines up to 5 billion Indonesian rupiah, and other administrative sanctions.
Indonesia has concluded bilateral agreements to promote legal timber with Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Australia, China, the US, and South Korea.
Multilateral agreements to control the trade in illegal timber are also being developed. For
example, we proposed a resolution to criminalize illegal logging to the Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Efforts to strengthen law enforcement and governance are also being made through the Asia
Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) process.
In other efforts, a scheme has been introduced to encourage Indonesian natural forest owners and concessionaries to produce sustainable wood. The scheme covers both natural woodand plantation wood. About 130,000 hectares of natural forest has been certified and additional 1.2 million hectares are being managed under a voluntary approach.
The Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) is a voluntary mechanism, but the Indonesian
government encourages the payment of high prices for TLAS certified products. The government has also introduced incentives for certified products such as export trading incentives.
Other efforts include community access to state-owned forests and expanded access toforests at the village level, as well as promoting the payment of high prices for fast growing
species in private forests managed by local communities.

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● Report 2 LOG TRACKING SYSTEMNameSEMILAN RIPOT

Position
Title

REVENUE MANAGER

Organization

SARWAK FORESTRY CORPORATION.

Brief
Personal
history

TERTIARY EDUCATION HAVING• Diploma in Forestry (Malaysian Agriculture University, (UPM), Sarawak)• Bachelor Science (Forestry) (Malaysian Agriculture
University (UPM) Serdang)
JOB EXPERIENCE• Joined the Forestry Department, Sarawak as Executive Forester (G3) and assigned as head of Infrastructure and Mapping Unit in Reforestation andRehabilitation Branch in year 1990
• Assigned as Officer-in-charge at Niah Forest Research Station and responsible for the overall implementation of the Reforestation project in Northern Region, Sarawak in Year 1990-1998• Assigned to Assist Deputy Director of Forest Department , Sarawak in Monitoring Plantation
Development Unit and Forest Plantation head in
Reforestation and Rehabilitation Branch, Forest
Department Sarawak in year 1998-2003• As Assistant Manager Land Use Administration,
Resource Inventories , Timber Supply and Environmental in Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Sarawak
in year 2003-2008• As Revenue Manager at SF&C Division of Sarawak
Forestry Corporation. (Directly accountable to theGeneral Manager of SF&C Division in managing
and establish of procedure related to revenue collection. Also responsible for management of Log
Scaling, Log Tracking System (LOTS) and Royalty
Billing System (RBS) of Sarawak Forestry in year
2009 until Now.

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● Report Outline
Your Name:SEMILAN RIPOT
Title of Your Presentation:
LOG TRACKING SYSTEM
Presentation Outline :Your assessment of Japan’s efforts to supply legality verified wood
RECENT DEVELOPMENT IN ILLEGAL LOGGING COUNTER MEASURES IN SARAWAK.
• State-Wide Deployment of Log Tracking System (LOTS)
This has been made possible by the State Government’s establishment of ForestNet, aWide Area Network (WAN) used exclusively by the forestry agencies for enforcement andfor timber royalty collection. ForestNet comprising 44 sites located throughout Sarawak was
deployed in December 2008 while LOTS was ‘operationalized’ in 26 of these sites in January 2009.
• Hyper-spectral (Airborne Tactical)
Sarawak with the support of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Malaysia hasembarked on a venture through the use of advance technology by setting up an operational
hyperspectral sensing facility at Forest Department Sarawak. The development of the ILD
tool was aimed at improving the efficiency of the enforcement in monitoring illegal logging inSarawak. ILD complements the airborne hyperspectral imaging dataset that could directly
be utilized by the field enforcement officers to areas where illegal activities were detectedfrom airborne hyperspectral imagery.
• Implementation of Inter-Agency Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Enforcement with effect from 1st January 2010
Wherein, 4 government agencies are entrusted to carry out complimentary roles in enforcement of forestry laws, rules and regulations. The inter-agency SOP provides for improved
work flow, elements of check-and-balance and elimination of overlapping jurisdictions.
• Joint Operations with Other Enforcement Agencies
Joint operations with the Police Department (especially Marine Police and Field Force), Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), Health Department and local authorities havebeen stepped up since last year. In 2010, a total of 355 such joint operations (sorties) werereported by SFC alone.
• Establishment of new and additional Forest Checking Station.
This forms part of the strategic logistic plan to be implemented over the period 2010-2014.
This calls for the setting of at least 20 new Forest Checking Station at Strategic location
throughout Sarawak.
Challenges in combating illegal logging around the world

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● Report 3 China’s legal timber verification system
Name

Zhu Guangqian

Position
Title

Chairman

Organization

China Timber and Wood Products Distribution
Association

Brief
Personal
history

Graduated from Beijing Forestry College (now Beijing
Forestry University) in 1965, Mr. has been working intimber industry for over 40 years. Senior Engineer. Mr.
Zhu successively held posts of Division Chief, Director,
in Department of Timber Building Materials or Department of Nonmetallic Materials Distribution, under Ministry of Materials, Materials Bureau of State Planning
Committee, Ministry of Civil Business, etc. Mr. Zhu has
been Chairman of China Timber and Wood Products
Distribution Association since 2000. Mr. Zhu also holds
the following posts: Expert, Expert Team of Market Adjustment and Control, Ministry of Commerce; Expert,
Committee of Expert Guidance, Research Center for
Economics and Trade in Forest Products of the State
Forestry Administration; Expert, Expert Team of Projecton China’s Modern Wooden Building Technology; Member of Editorial Board, China’s Man-Made Panels, one
of Core Periodicals in China; Chief Editor, China Timber
Information. And many academic books and articles
published.

● Report Outline
Your Name:
Zhu Guangqian
Title of Your Presentation:
China’s legal timber verification system
Presentation Outline (about 400 words):
Verification of Goho-wood in Japan is undertaken concretely and in detail. The system is flexible and easy to implement. It is worthwhile for China to take for reference.
China also pays attention to verification of legal wood. Our association requires members to
use legal timber.
China manages timber and ensures domestic timber being legal by a 3-license system, i.e.,timber cutting license, timber transportation license, and timber processing license.
China is a large country for timber import, and a large country for export of wood products65

as well. This is quite different than many other countries. China imports raw materials for processing wood products, but China cannot control the legality of timber harvested in othercountries. The key point for China is how to verify legality of import timber.
At present, China is trying to establish verification system to legal timber. Mainly we consider
about signing agreements with origin countries, clarify the definition of legal timber. Firstly, it isnecessary to abide by all the laws and regulations related to forestry in each country, to makesure that the source is legal, timber is legally harvested, and the forest management is also inaccordance with domestic law concerning forest management. To make sure the legality ofimport timber, the following contents should be included: legal cutting concession, compliance with regulations related to forest management, environment, labor and welfare, healthand safety, tax and copyrights, international treaties, etc.

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● Report 4
Name

Vincent van den Berk

Position
Title
Organization

Coordinator of the FLEGT Asia Regional Programme,
Director EFI Asia regional office in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Brief
Personal
history

Vincent van den Berk is heading the European Forest Institute (EFI) regional Asia office in Kuala Lumpur.
The regional office was formally established in October
2009 and is based in the Finnish Embassy to Malaysia.
From here he coordinates the Forest Law Enforcement
Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Asia Regional Programme. This Programme is implemented in close collaboration with the EU and aimed at implementing the
EU FLEGT Action Plan in Asia. It focuses on promotinginternational trade in verifi ed legal timber within Asiaand exported from Asia to other consumer markets.
Before the EFI, Vincent worked for the European Commission at the Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. He was the EU FLEGT Advisor
for Malaysia supporting the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) negotiations between the EU and
Malaysia, and the Asia region since April 2006,.
Before moving to the European Commission he was a
Senior Policy Advisor International Affairs for the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management andFood Quality in The Hague and in Wageningen. He wassince 2004 closely involved in the early stages of the
FLEGT developments as part of the Netherlands international forestry and timber dossier.

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● Report 5 U.S. Efforts to Combat Illegal Logging and Associated Trade
Name

Dr. David J. Brooks

Position
Title

Director for Natural Resource Policy

Organization

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

Brief
Personal
history

Dr. David J. Brooks has responsibility for a wide varietyof natural resource policy issues in the Environment
and Natural Resources section of the Office of the U.S.
Trade Representative (USTR). These include wildlife
trade, forestry and environmental reviews of trade
agreements. Prior to joining USTR, Dr. Brooks was a
research scientist and science team leader with the US
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. He has degrees from Trinity College (Hartford, Connecticut), theUniversity of Maine and Oregon State University.

● Report Outline
Your Name: D.J. Brooks
Title of Your Presentation: U.S. Efforts to Combat Illegal Logging and Associated Trade
Presentation Outline :The United States has been a leader in promoting sustainable forest management and indrawing international attention to the economic and environmental consequences of illegal
logging and associated trade.
USTR has led U.S. efforts to address this issue through trade-related agreements, as illustrated by a number of innovative initiatives: a bilateral agreement with Indonesia, negotiatedunder the US-Indonesia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement; a bilateral agreementwith China, negotiated under the Strategic Economic Dialogue; the Annex on Forest Sector
Governance of the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement; and the Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue on Promoting Trade in Legally Harvest Forest Products.
Common elements in these efforts include consultation, especially among relevant ministries, transparency including improved information about markets and trade, capacity building,partnerships between governments and the private sector, including both commercial interests and NGOs, and enforcing obligations.
Complementing these efforts, in 2008 the United States amended the Lacey Act, a centuryold anti-trafficking statute to provide an enforcement tool to assist other countries, as well as
the U.S. states in efforts to combat illegal harvesting and associated trade in protected plants.

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Section 2 Panel Discussion Summary● Panelists
Reporter of Section 1 andAkihiko Araya, Board Chair, The Forest Economic Research InstituteProfile of Akihiko Araya
Born in Tokyo in 1943, Professor Araya earned his master’s degreefrom the Graduate School of the Tokyo University of Education (today’s
University of Tsukuba) in 1971, after which he worked as assistant at
the university’s Faculty of Agriculture. In 1974, he joined the Japan
Wood-Products Stockpile Organization (renamed Japan Wood Products
Information & Research Center in 1991) where he served as deputy
director, foreign investigation manager, and information chief. He
became professor at the Department of Agriculture of the Universityof Niigata in 2001. He was appointed executive director of the Forest
Economic Research Institute in 2008 and became board chair in 2010.

● Report Outline

Prof. Shin Nagata
We have received reports on the efforts being made in various regions. How should weview the efforts being made in Japan? Please make your comments with the approachesof each country in mind. We will begin with Mr. Akihiko Araya.
Mr. Akihiko Araya
I have been involved with legality verifi ed wood in Japan right from the start, and I
served as a member of the Council for Tackling Illegal Logging and Promotion of Gohowood and as chairman of the Promotion and Expansion Subcommittee. During the morning, we heard introductions of the efforts being advanced from various positions. While
there may be some overlap, I would like to simply explain Japan’s approach as I see it.
Japan’s efforts started from 2006, so this is now our fifth year. We began from 108 certifying associations and 4,900 certified businesses, and this has now increased to 140
certifying associations and 7,700 certified businesses. So the number of associations has
increased 30% and the number of businesses has grown 50%. The volume handled has
grown 4.2 times, and the volume processed has grown 3.5 times.
Japan’s legality verified wood activities may be considered voluntary industry activities.
The legality verified wood activities have been incorporated into the daily economic activities of wood businesses. The verification is not conducted based on law. Conversely, that
may be one factor in why the system is not working well overall. There are naturally differences in the level of commitment among the various certifying bodies and certified businesses, and how to overcome these may be considered an issue. Regardless, compared78

to the time when these activities started, I would say there has been great movement ina short period of time, and I feel that the participating associations and businesses havemade great efforts. I would now like to relate the types of developments which took placein areas where active efforts were made.
I think the PR effects achieved by the Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations
and other groups by holding Eco Products Exhibitions and other events nationwide havebeen great. Each association is also conducting various activities. We heard about activities in Shizuoka Prefecture in Mr. Matahira’s presentation, and the Shizuoka Prefectural
Federation has actively lobbied prefectures and towns. They are also publicizing legality
verified wood at all types of events.
Some organizations have made wooden housing out of legality verified wood from theirprefectures, and promoted this housing in PR events for consumers. They have also sentout invitations to various prefectural festivals in the names of prefectural governors. Amidthese movements in the respective prefectures, the industry has provided prefectural
wood and legality verified wood for housing construction. It is from these types of efforts
that we have reached the state where we are today.
As for the future direction, legality verified wood is included in the government’s longterm quality housing which gives consideration to the environment. To date the problem
has been how to generate demand, but the surrounding environment is improving considerably for our future activities. We have targeted our efforts so far on the wood industry,
but now we are adding on PR toward the construction, paper, DIY, and other industries.
Industry parties with whom we have had little contact are moving to use legality verified
wood. In a recent questionnaire survey, nearly half of the 200 companies surveyed said
they are handling legality verified wood, and most of them said that they want to expand
this in the future. I think we are entering the next stage of demand expansion.
There are also areas that are not proceeding well. The Japanese system does not discriminate between domestic and foreign sources and is set to cover both domestic andforeign legality verified wood, but at present the amount of imported wood is still small.
The reason for this is that even for imported wood, when a single country such as Indonesia or Malaysia makes a certification system, chain of custody (CoC) certificates areissued relatively easily. However, at present it is relatively difficult to obtain CoC basedon forest certification systems. Industry surveys indicate it is extremely difficult to obtain CoC certificates for foreign wood. As Mr. Ohashi said this morning, legality verified
wood would spread much more widely in Japan if legality certificates could be obtainedfor each shipload of wood. So I think one issue is how the present CoC rules could bechanged to increase the spread of legality verified wood.
From the start of operations through to the present, we have focused on building theorganization and establishing the foundations. The question is how we should develop
from now on. There is also a strong wind blowing in the legal system, particularly for longterm quality housing and the use of wood in the construction of public buildings. Whilejoining hands with the concerned parties in foreign countries, domestically I think wemust move forward with a focus not just on industry but also considering how we should
involve consumers as well. In that sense, I am eager to hear many opinions from the participants from each nation.
Prof. Nagata
I would like to ask each of the panelists to speak on how Japan’s legality verification

79

approach appears when viewed from each country.
Ms. Listya Kusumawardhani
In Indonesia, naturally we want to follow the global examples of success with legality verified wood and to promote the use of legality verified wood. We have similar examples within Indonesia, and the Ministry of Forestry is promoting the use of legality
verified wood. This is being advanced through forestry-related associations based on coordination between forestry organs and privatization organs. We have not yet conductedany surveys on the general public. While we have no surveys showing sufficient understanding of legality verified wood, we think the understanding of forest sustainability is rising. We want to learn from experience with legality verified wood also.
Prof. Nagata
Next, Mr. Ripot from Malaysia.
Mr. Semilan Ripot
I think the Japanese government’s great efforts for legality verified wood and the approach to promote understanding among Japanese consumers are fantastic.
Regarding promoting the use of legality verified wood, in Malaysia we are administering the LOTS system. Through the fi rst half of 2009 this was only operating in part ofSarawak, but it is now possible to fully verify the legality of wood from Sarawak. This isa strong development for individuals who have licenses and for those who are promoting legality verified wood. I think it is very good that the Japanese government is making
great efforts for legality verified wood.
Prof. Nagata
And next, I would like to ask for a comment from Mr. Zhu, from China.
Mr. Zhu Guangqian
I have listened to the discussions of Japan’s legality verification system today, andfound them to be most instructive. I got the impression that Japan’s verification and certification system is simple, flexible, and easily implemented. It includes forest certification,
certification by associations and groups, and independent certification by businesses.
China is considering a bilateral agreement with Japan, and personally I think that theJapanese system can serve as a reference for China.
In China, I think this should be approached from the perspective of civil society. I think
it is good to act in various dimensions, and I would like to propose the Japanese system
to the concerned sectors.
Now I would like to briefly talk about our PR activities in China.
The work we have done so far is insufficient. In China, there is a misunderstanding
among the mass media. They are saying that logging must be reduced to preserve forests, but I think forests can be preserved if only legally harvested wood is used. In China,
in the past cement and steel were used in place of wood, and this approach still has
many advocates. However, cement and steel production increases carbon dioxide emissions. I think that wood is better, from this perspective. In China, vast quantities of cement are used by the construction industry. China’s annual cement production is around
1.8 billion metric tons, with consumption of 130 kg per person. The global level is 300 kg.

80

I think we should reduce the use of cement. I think we should build wooden buildings.
Wooden buildings are attracting attention. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has also begun setting construction standards. I think that the construction ofwooden housing is going to advance in China from now on, and the most important thingis to use legality verified wood.
Prof. Nagata
Continuing along, can we now hear about the conditions in Europe?
Mr. Vincent van den Berk
I would also first like to start by praising Japan’s legality verified wood system. Fromthe presentations, I learned that government, business associations and other parties aremaking various efforts. I do have three questions regarding Japan’s system.
First, what standards are used to determine the legality of the imported wood? What
range of wood is considered to be legal? What are the standards for determining legality
and sustainability? Are the opinions of stakeholders being considered?
My second question is about third-party monitoring. I understand the Japanese system
has both self-certification and third-party certification. In Europe, we are placing great efforts on third-party certification. What is the situation in Japan? What are the trends in legality verified wood certification?
As my third question, I want to comment about the future direction of the voluntary
partnership agreement (VPA) negotiations. I got the impression that there may be somediscrepancy in the understanding of the progress of the VPA negotiations. In the future, I
would like to present more information.
Mr. Katsuya Taki (Forestry Agency of Japan)
To answer your question about determining the legality of imported wood, the questionis whether or not the wood was logged appropriately based on the laws of the producing
country. Our determinations respect the standards of the producing countries.
Mr. Makoto Ozawa (Forestry Agency of Japan)
As for the question about monitoring, we cannot cover everything. This year, while I do
not have the precise figures here with me, we have received responses from 100 to 200
businesses.
Prof. Nagata
I did not fully understand the third question. Was it a suggestion for more publicity on
the contents of the VPA? What are your opinions on this topic?
Mr. Ozawa (Forestry Agency of Japan)
VPAs are fundamentally bilateral arrangements between the EU and the partner country. We do not receive information about the VPAs. We would like to receive information
and use it as a reference.
Prof. Nagata
Japan has three types of certification: third-party certification using forest certification,
certification by industry associations, and certification by the respective businesses that81

they conduct legal operations. I do not think anyone believes this must be shifted to completely third-party certification, but improvements should be made in each type. The precision of certification by industry associations should be improved. As for the certificationby the respective businesses, the paper industry has self-certification, but this could be
strengthened by auditing. So I think the direction is to improve the accuracy of each typeof certification.
Dr. David J. Brooks
The steps in the US and in Japan are rather similar.
In the US, we have long focused on building a structure for cooperation. We are building up this structure through both bilateral and multilateral arrangements. The US and Japan share the core concept that the private sector must take responsibility and act. While
Mr. van den Berk spoke about the example of the EU, Japan is flexible, whether regarding
certification or CoC. The Japanese approach is that it is good to have various methods.
That is similar to the US approach. We also have policies and laws, but we have the private sector take the initiative. This is the approach we are taking in the US, and we think
this approach is desirable.
There are also areas where the US and Japanese systems differ. For example, in the
US proof of illegality is the government’s responsibility.
What I want to hear from the Japanese presenters is the overall range of the Japanesesystem. In Japan, how much of the domestic wood and how much of the imported woodis legality verified wood? What are the costs involved in your various activities, and who
pays for these efforts? Is there a big problem with imported wood, or is that not the case?
What percentage of the imported wood is a problem? Can you provide this information?
Prof. Nagata
I think the important points are that this is voluntary, and that it is spreading among
consumers.
Next, I would like a discussion on how the measures in each region become global.
Mr. Araya
I would like to ask each of the panelists questions which concern me, so I would like tomove forward with this discussion with them giving their opinions regarding these points.
My first question is about Indonesia. In paper 19-2 today from Indonesia the section
Promote Legal Timber Trade-4 states that the Indonesian Government encourages somebuyers to pay premium prices [for products from companies with timber legality assurance certificates]. What, specifically, is the approach? In today’s world, wood prices are
generally determined by the market price. What is the function of government encouragement of buyers to pay higher prices in that context? What is the government framework?
And when prices increase in that way, I also think that becomes a double-edged sword
when it comes to trade. If the legality verified wood is expensive and the unverified woodis inexpensive, then there is a risk that demand may flow to the inexpensive, unverified
wood.
Prof Nagata
As time is limited, I would like to ask Mr. Araya to pose his other questions before taking the answers.

82

Mr. Araya
My second question is for Mr. Zhu of China. In your presentation, you explained that
China has arranged various domestic systems for imports, and must now consider measures for import timber. You mentioned consultations among countries that would sign anagreement. Would these consultations take the same form as the bilateral dialogues todate, or are you considering some new, independent format in China? I would like to hearmore detailed, deeper information. China has become a big player as both an importerand an exporter. Would some sort of dialogue with China at the center and including China’s import and export trading partners be possible?
And I have a question for the two panelists from Europe and the US. Thank you verymuch for explaining the new approaches in Europe and the US, and about the Lacey Act.
In Japan we hear about your water’s edge policies, but seldom receive information about
your domestic situation. Do you have domestic systems such as that for legality verified wood? Are there movements in that direction? If there are, then I want to learn about
them as they could be a reference for Japan. Please tell me if you have those kinds ofthoughts and approaches in your wood industry and at the various points where wood is
actually distributed.
Next, I would like to hear from the panelist from Indonesia about how the prices of legality verified wood products are raised, and about their competitiveness versus nonverified wood after the prices are raised.
Ms. Kusumawardhani
We understand that prices are determined by the market. Yet these are the government expectations. I would like to ask other representatives from Indonesia, or from BRIK,
to provide a supplementary answer on their experience of government requests for thepayment of higher prices. The other thing I want to explain is that while you might thinkthat illegally logged wood is low-priced, Indonesia has intensively implemented a plan tocombat illegal logging, so the price of illegally logged wood has, on the contrary, become
high. Although there is still illegal logging, it is declining as a result of the implementationof the plan. I will ask my colleagues to supplement my comments regarding the price issue.
Mr./Ms. Note
I will comment on the situation in Indonesia.
Indonesia supports Japan’s approach to legality verified wood. As explained yesterday, Indonesia is moving toward greater use of legality verified wood. The government ofIndonesia observes the law and uses only legality verified wood. The legality verification
involves additional costs. We think a premium will emerge for legality verified wood, andthat this will increase the price. Japanese users are paying a premium of about $20 for
FSC certified wood.
Indonesia uses TLAS, which is almost the same as VPA in terms of the procedures. As
the speaker from China also mentioned, while the legality verification procedures may increase, I think that illegal wood will be used less and less worldwide.
Prof. Nagata
I would like to ask Mr. Ripot how the additional costs of legality verification are coveredin Malaysia.

83Mr. Ripot
Mr. Talif Salleh, would you please address this?
Mr. Talif Salleh
We introduced the LOTS system from January 1, 2009. The cost of the hardware was$3 million, which was paid by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The operating costs are on the order of $400,000, and these are covered by the states. No burden is placed on the businesses or consumers.
There are also some questions I would like to ask. The first concerns VPAs and bilateral agreements. Under natural law, parties are considered innocent unless judged guilty.
They are innocent unless the other side proves they have broken the law. The production
countries already have systems, and these are established. Are we being told to conclude
VPAs because our systems alone are not sufficient, and to provide certified wood because this cannot be entirely left to the laws of the production countries?
The second question is about the EU legislation which passed in November. The individual EU members also have their own laws. What will the relations be between the EU
legislation and the member states’ legislation once the EU legislation comes into effect?
The third question is what will happen in 2013 if no countries conclude VPAs?
Fourth, I understand that the EU imports 10% of its wood and that 20% of this imported wood is illegal, with a value on the order of $3.4 billion, which is a rather large sum.
What happens with this illegal wood which comes into Europe? How are the parties concerned punished?
Mr. van den Berk
The question is about what will happen when the new law comes into force. The
buyers and traders will have to prove that the items they procure meet the legality requirements, so they will have to conduct risk assessments. For example, when buying
certain wood it may be necessary to prove that it meets the legal requirements of theNetherlands. Wood purchased from Sarawak State must also be proven. When traders
think something is suspicious, they will more carefully scrutinize the wood they procure.
That is because it may not be possible to sell the wood. The traders themselves will takeaction, based on the guidelines to be published.
Regarding the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) VPAs, if Malaysia signs a VPA with the EU, then wood from Malaysia will be considered legal wood.
However, VPAs are voluntary agreements, and they do not impose any obligations. We
think that if the market incentives work, countries will conclude VPAs. However, there arepresently no other methods.
The EU also carried out case studies, and checked against the laws of the individual
EU members. As I recall, this was implemented three years ago and the conclusion wasthat this is very difficult. Since the existing framework was difficult, we had to devise adifferent framework. The law was finally drafted five years after the problem emerged in
2003, and it will come into force from March 2013. In an ideal world, buyers would stop
handling high-risk items. Under the present system, when FLEGT buyers purchase certified wood it is considered legal, without them implementing a risk assessment. The EU
will have to examine the approach to wood that is not covered by FLEGT from 2013.

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Prof. Nagata
Let us consider the situations in the EU and in Sarawak separately. Now can we havethe answer to the question that was addressed to Mr. Zhu.
Mr. Zhu
In China we have only begun thinking about this type of agreement, so it has not yet
been achieved. It might be different with each country, because we need to consider the
status of the laws and regulations of each country.
China is the world’s largest wood importer and the largest exporter of wood products,
but this is not a problem that can be resolved by China alone. China s forest certification
system has only just begun.
Dr. Brooks
I would like to make a comment regarding premium pricing. In theory, if everyone uses
legality verified wood, then there will be no premium. If everyone expects this, and systems are applied uniformly, then there will be no premium. I think, however, there arepresently cracks because certification is not coordinated. Some countries believe thatcertification will also result in better tax collection, because certification will reveal how
much income is received from logging.
If taxes enter the national treasury, it will not be necessary to transfer the costs. The
increased taxes are the compensation. In the US there are robust laws, and regulations
are suitably applied at the state level. Private forest owners observe the law, and are acting to preserve forests. Illegal logging is a way around this, and we want the government
to prosecute illegal logging. Laws related to illegal logging are also applied to interstate
commerce. There used to be some loopholes, but countermeasures have been put inplace. I have already spoken about the international agreements.
Prof. Nagata
As just explained in these comments, there is always the cost issue involved with specifying legality verified wood. Theoretically, if illegal wood were always marked as illegal, it
could be eliminated by anyone, but since that is not the case we have to label the legal
wood, and the issues of the costs and methods then emerge.
However, traceability costs have declined making traceability easy, and as a new development consumers are becoming interested in traceability. Legality verified wood may
advance well under a system where consumers focus on traceability and pay the associated costs.
The important thing is to have a system which handles both domestic and imported
wood. Another key is that the system must be carefully fostered as a framework that isvoluntary, not compulsory. Those two items will remain important in the future.
Since time is up, we will now end today’s panel discussion. Thank you very much foryour participation.

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Outline of Exhibitions

Exhibition Outline
Outlines of certification systems and sample certificates for wood and wood products certifi ed as being legal and sustainable based on the Forestry Agency ofJapan “Guideline for Verifying the Legality and Sustainability of Wood and Wood
Products” were displayed to provide information to the parties involved in the Japanese market. The information was provided by the following wood products processors and distributors which export to Japan, industry organizations formed bysuch operators, organizations which administer certification systems, and related
government organs.
American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)
Council of Forest Industries (Canada) (COFI)
Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS)
Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB)Sarawak Timber Association
Tianjin Jiacheng Timber Industries Co., Ltd.
Weyerhaeuser Hardwoods
Western Forest Products Inc. (WFP)

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American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)
Discription of
the products

Name ofutilizing
systemRelated Area
Generaloverview ofverification

Scheme tocheck forlegality at thetime of logging

Scheme tocheck forsustainability

Region/Country
USA
Name of the products
American Hardwood
Name of Exporter
Name, American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)
Address, 1825 Michael Faraday Dr. Reston, VA 20190 USA
Contact, Michael Snow
Outline of Exportation (Volume of importation/ End use etc)
American Hardwood logs, lumbers and veneers
AHEC Responsible Procurement Policy (RPP)

Region /Country
Party responsible for issuing verification
Outline of issuing process
Study by independent consultant to analyze the risk that illegal timber can enter into commercial production of
hardwood lumbers in US.
Ask AHEC each members to stamp RPP logo mark on each shipping documents as the direction of Forestry
Agency of MAFF
The system shall verify legality only □ /or both sustainability □Definition of legality
Obey all applicable laws and regulations of the Unites States and each state
Relevant laws
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Details of presumed illegal activities
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Coordinate with law enforcement and association timber security task forces to investigate and resolve timber
trespass and illegal harvesting
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Participate in public and private sector initiatives at the states and local level to work collaboratively to reduce therisk of illegal and unsustainable timber harvesting
Definition of sustainability
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Real picture of the dealings, from logging to export
Procedure for ensuring separative custody management
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Future Task
and
Perspectives

Criticisms against the system and recognition of problems

Remediation procedure
Future perspectives
Reference
Authorwww. ahec.org
Name Title Organization Michael Snow Executive Director
Email address msnow@ahec.org

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Council of Forest Industries (COFI) / Canada Wood
Discription of
the products

Name ofutilizing
systemRelated Area
Generaloverview ofverification

Scheme tocheck forlegality at thetime of logging

Scheme tocheck forsustainability

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Region/Country
CanadaName of the products
Canadian Softwood Lumber: Spruce Pine Fir (SPF), Hem-Fir (N)Name of Exporter:
Council of Forest Industries (COFI) / Canada Wood
Mr. Paul J. Newman, Executive Director, Market Access & Trade
1501-700 West Pender Street Pender Place, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6C 1G8
Outline of Exportation (Volume of importation/ End use etc)2009 Canadian Softwood Lumber Exports to Japan: 919,448,000fbm
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) which are internationally recognizedunder the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Region /Country: Provinces of British Columbia & Alberta, Canada
Party responsible for issuing verification
Individual association member companies of COFI and related Canada Wood industry trade associations areindividually responsible for each of their respective third party verification schemes.
Outline of issuing process
Certification issued through CSA, SFI (PEFC) and FSC third party accreditation bodies. Please contact COFI /Canada Wood association member companies for further detail.
The system shall verify
both sustainability and legality are verified under PEFC and FSC certification schemes.
Definition of legality
In Canada illegal logging is defined as: (A) Theft of timber or logs, (B) deliberate harvesting without express or
implied authority to do so, or in unauthorized areas or where authority has been revoked for deficient harvesting
practices, or after government approvals are obtained by corrupt practices; (C) Where there is a deliberate failure
to pay stumpage and/or royalties to forest owners
Relevant laws
Many laws exist at the national, provincial, regional and municipal levels
At the Provincial level for public lands: for example, B.C. Forest Practices Code, Park Act, Wildlife Act, Land Act
Details of presumed illegal activities
In British Columbia, the Ministry of Forests and Range conducts 15,000 forest site audits annually across theprovince. Between 2003 and 2009 Ministry audits have revealed a compliance ratio of 99.9994% as a percentage
of annual allowable cut (AAC).
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Respective certified member companies retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC
certification schemes as well as related national and provincial laws.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Responsibility of third party verification scheme is decided by individual member companies.
Definition of sustainability
Sustainable forest management integrates economic, social and environmental aspects of management into an
appropriate balance that meets the needs of today’s society without jeopardizing the ability of future generations tomeet their needs.
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Respective certified member companies retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC
certification schemes as well as related national and provincial laws.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Responsibility of third party verification scheme is decided by individual member companies.
Real picture of the dealings, from logging to export
Procedure for ensuring separative custody management
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Future Task
and
Perspectives

Reference
AuthorCriticisms against the system and recognition of problems
Remediation procedure
Future perspectives
COFI / Canada Wood Japan will continue to strive in the future to educate and encourage member companies on
the Japanese Goho Wood requirements as they relate to the Forestry Agency’s guidelines for green procurement
and other relevant marketplace needs.
www.cofi.or.jp
Shawn Lawlor
Director, Japan Operations COFI / Canada Wood
Email address: lawlor@canadawood.jp

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Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS)
Descriptionof theProducts

Name of
Utilizing
SystemRelated Area
GeneralOverview of
Verification

Region/Country
Name of the products
Name of the Exporter(Name, Address, Contact)
Outline of Exportation(Volume ofimportation/End-use etc)
Name in home language
Name in English xxx
Verification System
Region/Country
Party responsible for
issuing Verification
Name / Location /Communication
Outline of issuing process(Copy of verification
documents should be
attached)
The system shall verify
legality only/or bothsustainability

Malaysia
All timber products derived from certified Permanent Reserved Forests.
MTCS Certificate holders. Refer to MTCC website
http://www.mtcc.com.my/mttc_scheme_certs_holders%20%20MC&I%282002%29.asp
As of 31 December 2009, a total of 366,814 m3 of various products exported, mainly
sawn timber (197,958 m3), Plywood (148,716 m3) and mouldings (17,639 m3).
Skim Pensijilan Kayu Malaysia.
Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) operated by Malaysian Timber
Certification Council (MTCC) and endorsed by PEFC on 1 May 2009.
National scheme
Third party verification. Please refer tohttp://www.mtcc.com.my/registered_assessors.asp

Refer to MTCC Website. Please refer tohttp://www.mtcc.com.my/registered assessors.asp

Sustainability including legality.

93Scheme tocheck forlegality at
the time of
logging

Scheme tocheck forsustainability

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Future Task
and
Perspective

Reference

Definition of legality
Relevant laws
Details of presumed
illegal activities
Procedures for retaining
and verifying the evidence
Scheme implemented by
the third party and so on
to ensure reliability
Definition of sustainability

Procedures for retaining
and verifying the evidence
Scheme implemented by
the third party and so on
to ensure reliability
Real picture of thedealings, from logging toexportProcedure for ensuring
separative custody
management
Scheme implemented by
the third party and so on
to ensure reliability
Criticisms against thesystem and recognition ofproblems
Remediation procedure
Future perspectives
Web site (URL)
Contact
Name Title Organization

Email address

The MTCS addresses all issues regarding legality throughout the timber production
chain from the time of harvesting by third party auditing.

Defined in accordance with international norms and principles to address social,environmental and economic issues. Standards adopted by Stakeholders throughconsultations.
Third party auditing using Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management
Certification [MC&I(2002)].
The independent Certification Body also is ISO certified and accredited to the
Department of Standards Malaysia which is the National Accreditation Body. The
Certification Body is notified by MTCC, as the National Governing Body.

Chain of Custody Certification, throughout the production chain, from certified forest to
point of export. Standard used is PEFC Technical Document Annex 4.

The independent Certification Body also is ISO certified and accredited to the
Department of Standards Malaysia which is the National Accreditation Body.
Certification Body notified by MTCC, as the National Governing Body.
Standard reviewed every five years for continuous improvement. Current forest
management standard is now undergoing second review. Active cooperation with otherschemes and initiatives.
Forest Plantation standard submitted for PEFC endorsement.
Website: http://www.mtcc.com.my
Chief Executive Officer
Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC)
C-08-05, Blok C, Megan Avenue II, No. 12 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel. No. : 603-2161 2298
Fax No. : 603-2161 2293
E-Mail : info@mtcc.com.my

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Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB)/ Canada Wood
Discription of
the products

Name ofutilizing
systemRelated Area
Generaloverview ofverification

Scheme tocheck forlegality at thetime of logging

Scheme tocheck forsustainability

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Region/Country
CanadaName of the products
Canadian Hard Softwood Lumber: Spruce Pine Fir (SPF)
Name of Exporter:
Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB)/ Canada Wood
Location: Quebec City, Province of Quebec, Canada
Outline of Exportation (Volume of importation/ End use etc)2009 Canadian Lumber Exports to Japan: 1,998,338M3
Wood origin and legality traceability system of QWEB based on the QWEB Code of Conduct, complied with
QWEB’s Auditing and Traceability system
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) which are internationally recognizedunder the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Region /Country: Provinces of Quebec
Party responsible for issuing verification
Individual association member companies of QWEB are individually responsible for each of their respective third
party verification schemes.
Outline of issuing process
Certification issued through CSA, SFI (PEFC) and FSC third party accreditation bodies. Please contact QWEB /Canada Wood association member companies for further detail.
The system shall verify -Both sustainability and legality are verified under PEFC and FSC certification schemes.
Definition of legality
In Canada illegal logging is defined as: (A) Theft of timber or logs, (B) deliberate harvesting without express or
implied authority to do so, or in unauthorized areas or where authority has been revoked for deficient harvesting
practices, or after government approvals are obtained by corrupt practices; (C) Where there is a deliberate failure
to pay stumpage and/or royalties to forest owners
Relevant laws
Many laws related to logging and harvesting exist at the municipal, regional, provincial and national level.
On a provincial level for public lands (Crown Lands): Quebec’s Forest Act and Best Management Practices on
Crown Lands
Details of presumed illegal activities
In Quebec, Canada, illegal wood is not really an issue. There is virtually no risk that wood coming from Quebec’s
forests would have been illegally harvested.
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Respective certified member companies retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC
certification schemes as well as related national and provincial laws.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Responsibility of third party verification scheme is decided by individual member companies.
Definition of sustainability
Sustainable forest management integrates economic, social and environmental aspects of management into an
appropriate balance that meets the needs of today’s society without jeopardizing the ability of future generations tomeet their needs.
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Respective certified member companies retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC
certification schemes as well as related national and provincial laws.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Responsibility of third party verification scheme is decided by individual member companies.
Real picture of the dealings, from logging to export
Procedure for ensuring separative custody management
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Future Task
and
Perspectives

Reference
AuthorCriticisms against the system and recognition of problems
Remediation procedure
Future perspectives
QWEB/ Canada Wood Japan will continue to strive in the future to educate and encourage member companies on
the Japanese Goho Wood requirements as they relate to the Forestry Agency’s guidelines for green procurement
and other relevant marketplace needs.
Ryoichi TAKAHASIDirector, Japan Operations QWEB/ Canada Wood
Email address: Ryoichi.takahashi@mri.gouv.qc.ca

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Sarawak Timber Association

98

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Tianjin Jiacheng Timber Industries Co.,Ltd.
Discription of
the products

Name ofutilizing
systemRelated Area
Generaloverview ofverification

Region/Country
People's Republic of China
Name of the products
Various type of LVL board/ furniture parts/ house building parts
Name of Exporter
Tianjin Jiacheng Timber Industries Co.,Ltd.
Address: #7 Shuangchen West RD, BEDA, Tianjin, PRC
Outline of Exportation (Volume of importation/ End use etc)
Radiata pine products: 8000m3, Beech products: 800m3, Gumwood 6000m3,
Eucalyptus products: 800m3, SPF: 2000m3 (per annum)
Forest-Products Identification Promotion Conference

All Japan
Party responsible for issuing verification
Secretariat of Forest-Products Identification Promotion Conference
6F, Nagatacho Bldg, 2-4-3 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, Japan
Outline of issuing process
Preparation and submission of relevant data, material, documentations to verify the regality which required by
FIPC Secretariat such as;
1. Material Purchasing control (Checking the supplier’s verification and validity)
2. Material separation and handling control (purchasing 100% legality verified exclusively)
3. Check the species and origin of wood (using third party verification; 第 3 者証明 (Wood dictionary, evidence
made by experts and professors)
4. In-house system which covers production control (process instruction etc), quality control and material stock
control. Some of them includes JAS and ISO14000 requirement which we are certified.
The committee reviews the submitted documents above, decides the certification issuance is decided upon the
result of assessment.
We exclusively purchase the material verified the legality as listed below;
1 New Zealand’s Radiata Pine from Pan Pac Forest Products Ltd. (FSC-CoC),
2 German Beech from Holzindustrie Templin GmbH (PEFC-CoC),
3 Thai Gumwood with verification issued by Thai government (industry development department),
4 Australian Eucalyptus from Vic Forests (AFC certified)
5 Canadian SPF Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (SFMS certified)

Scheme tocheck forlegality at
the time of
logging

Scheme tocheck forsustainability(N/A)

The legality is verified by the third party such as certification body or governmental body which has credibility.
For the assessment, we submit the set of documentation to verify the species and legality. Also we obtain theapproval from FIPC Secretariat for the use of label. The label use record is kept and informed to FIPC on regularbasis.
The system verifies legality only
Definition of legality
The mill shall maintain the valid legality verification issued by the third party. E.g. FSC, PEFC, governmental
verification.
Relevant laws
Compliance with standard defined by each certification scheme and national law.
Details of presumed illegal activities
Since we purchase the material from lumber mill, we can do nothing if the lumber mill forges the legality
verification document. Hence, we exclusively purchase material from companies which have concrete ethics. We
visit the supplier’s sites periodically to inspect the legality on site.
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
The copy of FSC/PEFC certificate and documents issued by government. We visit the supplier’s sites periodicallyto check the original document on site.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
The copy of FSC/PEFC certificate and documents issued by government. We visit the supplier’s sites periodicallyto check the original document on site.
Definition of sustainability
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

102

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Future Task
and
Perspectives

Reference
AuthorReal picture of the dealings, from logging to export
As of logging, it is controlled by the certified supplier under their responsibility. We exclusively purchase thematerial from certified mill.
Procedure for ensuring separative custody management
We exclusively uses legality verified material only. Our control management is not to buy the material from
non-certified lumber mill.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
We are assessed by FIPC and obtain the approval. Beside of FIPC, we also certified of ISO14001and JAS.
Criticisms against the system and recognition of problems
For foreign company, it is challenging to communicate with Japanese secretariat. Also FIPC’s recognition is
weaker than FSC/PEFC.
Remediation procedure
Improve our staff Japanese skill and education of FIPC for new customers.
Future perspectives
Expansion of market by promotion of legality verified FIPC products.
http://www.jiachengtimber.com/englishweb/about.asp
Ms. Wang Xiao Dong - Marketing Department –Tel : +86-22-26978888 / Fax : +86-22-26970888
E-mail : wangxiaodong@jiachengtimber.com

103

Weyerhaeuser Hardwoods
Discription of
the products

Name ofutilizing
systemRelated Area
Generaloverview ofverification

Scheme tocheck forlegality at
the time of
logging

Region/Country
United States
Name of the products
Hardwood Lumber
Name of Exporter
Weyerhaeuser Hardwoods
33663 Weyerhaeuser Way South CH2 J30 Federal Way, WA 98003, US
Contact: Erick Hall
Outline of Exportation (Volume of importation/ End use etc)
14 million board feet of hardwood lumber used for manufacturing furniture and millwork
AHEC Responsible Procurement Policy (RPP)

Pacific Northwest, USA
Dorchester, WI USA
Party responsible for issuing verification
Outline of issuing process
Push AHEC RPP logo stamp on each shipping documents as the direction from American Hardwood Export
Council (AHEC). Please see the attachment
The system shall verify legality only □ /or both sustainability □ X
Definition of legality
Relevant laws
US Congressional Resolution that US Hardwoods are legal and sustainable
Details of presumed illegal activities
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Scheme tocheck forsustainability

Definition of sustainability
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Real picture of the dealings, from logging to export
Procedure for ensuring separative custody management
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Future Task
and
Perspectives

Criticisms against the system and recognition of problems
Remediation procedure
Future perspectives

Reference
AuthorWeb site
URL http://www.weyerhaeuser.com
Contact
Nobuyuki Ryu General Manager Hardwoods & Industrial Products
Email address nobuyuki.ryu@weyerhaeuser.com

104

Western Forest Products Inc.
Discription of
the products

Name ofutilizing
systemRelated Area
Generaloverview ofverification

Scheme tocheck forlegality at thetime of logging

Scheme tocheck forsustainability

Scheme ofseparative
custody
management

Region/Country
British Columbia, Canada
Name of the products
BC Coast Softwood Lumber
Name of Exporter
Western Forest Products Inc.
510-700 West Georgia Street, TD Tower, Vancouver, Canada
Outline of Exportation (Volume of importation/ End use etc)
Western Forest (WFP) manages mostly public forest and small amount of private forest in BC coast, harvests logs
and manufacturing logs to lumber and market logs and lumber. Annual Allowable Cut volume on public land isabout 7 million m3. Annual lumber production capacity is about 3.5 million m3. Annual sales is about 600 Canadiandollars.7 sawmills and 3 processing plants. Annually about 500,000m3 of Canada Tsuga, Douglas Fir, Yellow Cedarand Sitka Spruce KD and Green lumber export to Japan.
Forest Certification: CoC, CSA (PEFC Appendix 4)

British Columbia, Canada
Party responsible for issuing verification
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) which are internationally recognizedunder the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Outline of issuing process
See Attached certificate
The system shall verify both legality and sustainability.
Definition of legality
In Canada illegal logging is defined as: (A) Theft of timber or logs, (B) deliberate harvesting without express or
implied authority to do so, or in unauthorized areas or where authority has been revoked for deficient harvesting
practices, or after government approvals are obtained by corrupt practices; (C) Where there is a deliberate failure
to pay stumpage and/or royalties to forest owners
Relevant laws
Many laws exist at the national, provincial, regional and municipal levels
At the Provincial level for public lands: for example, B.C. Forest Practices Code, Park Act, Wildlife Act, Land Act
Details of presumed illegal activities
In British Columbia, the Ministry of Forests and Range conducts 15,000 forest site audits annually across theprovince. Between 2003 and 2009 Ministry audits have revealed a compliance ratio of 99.9994% as a percentage
of annual allowable cut (AAC).
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC certification schemes as well as related national
and provincial laws.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC certification schemes as well as related national
and provincial laws.
Definition of sustainability
Sustainable forest management integrates economic, social and environmental aspects of management into an
appropriate balance that meets the needs of today’s society without jeopardizing the ability of future generations tomeet their needs.
Procedures for retaining and verifying the evidence
Retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC certification schemes as well as related national
and provincial laws.
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability
Retain verification documentation in compliance with PEFC / FSC certification schemes as well as related national
and provincial laws.
Real picture of the dealings, from logging to export
Procedure for ensuring separative custody management
Scheme implemented by the third party and so on to ensure reliability

Future Task
and
Perspectives

Reference
AuthorCriticisms against the system and recognition of problems
Remediation procedure
Future perspectives
Promotion of correct understanding by customer for forest certification and CoC.
www.westernforest.com
www.MBKK.jp
Shuichi Shigyo, MacMillan Bloedel K.K.(Subsidiary of WFP) Vice President
sshigyo@westernforest.com

105

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International Symposium on Legality Verified Wood 2010
REPORT
February, 2010
Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations (JFWIA)
Nagatacho BLDG, 6F, 2-4-3, Nagatacho, CHIYODA-KU, Tokyo
100-0014, JAPANTEL : +81-3-3580-3215 FAX : +81-3-3580-3226
Website : ttp://www.zenmoku.jp

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