DNA analysis and other forensic technologies are giving authorities new ways to verify the species and origin of timber, supporting timber traceability and investigations into illegal logging.
Advances in timber forensics are helping researchers and authorities uncover the origins of wood and establish whether it has been legally harvested and traded.
These techniques could help address one of the biggest challenges in building legal and sustainable timber supply chains: proving where timber actually comes from.
During a recent webinar, forestry experts discussed how DNA-based tools and other forensic technologies can provide scientific evidence to trace timber from harvesting to end use, while supporting investigations and enforcement against illegal logging and timber laundering.
The session, the tenth in a series of 12 organised jointly by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), Germany’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) and Kasetsart University, is part of an ITTO project aimed at improving the production of high-quality teak and other valuable timber species managed by smallholders.
Teak is grown in around 80 countries across the tropics. Its widespread cultivation and international trade make it particularly vulnerable to illegal logging and timber laundering.
In her opening remarks, ITTO director of forest management Jennifer Conje said DNA barcoding and other forensic approaches could improve the tracking and traceability of teak and other timber species.
Scientific evidence can help verify supply chain claims, strengthen confidence in timber products, meet international trade requirements, uphold certification schemes and combat illegal logging and timber laundering.
Timber forensics combines several scientific techniques to identify wood and investigate its origin. DNA barcoding can distinguish species by analysing specific genetic material, while population-level genetic analysis can provide evidence about geographic provenance.
Forensic tools for tracing timber in India
As one of the world’s largest markets and traders in teak, India faces challenges linked to the illegal timber trade.
Dr Suma Arun Dev, senior principal scientist and head of the department of forest biotechnology at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), said imports of illegally logged wood from conflict-affected Myanmar, along with illegal domestic felling across 17 states, were concerns for policymakers.
KFRI has responded by developing and applying a range of DNA-based and other forensic tools to identify timber species and determine their origin.
Arun Dev explained how the institute has used DNA barcoding, isotope ratio analysis and other techniques to investigate timber illegality. Since beginning this work in 2011, KFRI has developed what it describes as a first-of-its-kind national reference DNA database covering 60 tree species. It has also established the Centre for DNA Barcoding and Timber Forensics to support efforts to strengthen legal and sustainable timber supply chains in India.
The drivers of illegal timber trade in India are complex. High domestic demand and weak enforcement, combined with a harvesting sector affected by government policies and court rulings that prioritised conservation over sustainable forest management, have contributed to the situation, Arun Dev said.
Traditional timber identification methods based on anatomical and chemical characteristics are not always sufficient to identify species reliably or determine the geographic origin of individual samples.
This has led KFRI to develop an integrated forensic approach, with DNA barcoding as a key component.
DNA barcoding can identify timber species and, when combined with population-level genetic markers and reference databases, provide evidence about the geographic origin of individual samples.
KFRI’s database brings together reference data for key species, creating a central resource for researchers, policymakers and law enforcement agencies. Using machine learning, Arun Dev and her team have improved its searchability and analytical capabilities.
The team is also continuing to develop forensic methods, including the use of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. These have been used in genetic studies to identify India’s distinct gene-ecological zones.
DNA barcoding in Indonesia
Indonesia also faces challenges linked to illegality in its timber sector.
During the webinar, Prof Ulfah J Siregar of IPB University noted that Indonesia was estimated in 2013 to be among the world’s three largest producers of illegal timber.
Mandatory certification of domestically harvested timber became a key response. Through the Timber Legality and Sustainability Assurance System (SVLK), traceability and audits have been used to strengthen compliance across the timber sector and verify legality and sustainability.
ITTO has supported the adoption of the SVLK across Indonesia, including through a project in Java that raised awareness, provided training and strengthened implementation capacity among stakeholders. Alongside legislation such as the Forestry Law, the system has provided a framework for addressing and penalising illegal activity in the timber industry.
Forensic technologies can complement these legal and institutional measures by strengthening timber identification, traceability and verification.
As in India, wood identification technologies have enabled more precise analysis of timber samples using techniques including DNA barcoding, conventional DNA markers and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis.
Siregar and her team have applied these methods in practical cases across Indonesia, showing how DNA analysis can compare timber samples with reference material.
By examining genetic similarities between samples of known and uncertain origin, researchers can assess whether timber is consistent with its claimed source and provide scientific evidence to support investigations into its provenance.
Towards a global system for verifying teak
Wider adoption of timber forensic technologies will require greater international cooperation and knowledge sharing.
Participants at the webinar suggested establishing a global timber forensic database, building on national reference systems developed by KFRI and Indonesian researchers.
Such a system could enable authorities in different countries to compare timber samples against shared reference data, strengthening cross-border verification of species and geographic origin.
Two more webinars in the series are planned before the end of the year.
