Good Wood

European timber buyers are demanding that Ghana's timber industry get third party certification for legal logging to meet new European standards. The UK Timber Trade Federation informed a meeting of Ghanaian timber producers that certification for legality would be a minimal requirement and certification for sustainability would be desirable. Similar meetings are to be held across Africa's tropical timber producing countries. Ghana's Forestry Commission is developing a log-tracking system to allow verification of legality.

It is clear that this kind of external pressure, supported by aid programs, is essential if illegal logging is to be halted. Europe, Japan, Australia and others will have to take the lead, since the US government is hostile to any moves to control illegal logging.