Timber Development UK (TDUK), the timber industries association of the United Kingdom, has alerted its members to the ongoing issue of illegal imports of conflict timber from Russia and Belarus. The organization urges its members to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to avoid inadvertently sourcing timber products linked to these regions. TDUK highlighted the alarming practice of Russian birch plywood and other conflict timbers being smuggled into the market through third-party countries.
According to TDUK, despite the ban on importing wood products from Russia, Belarus, and certain parts of Ukraine into the European Union and the UK, reports suggest that these materials are still making their way into countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. To circumvent the ban, unscrupulous entities are disguising the origin of Russian birch plywood and other conflict timbers by falsely declaring them to have originated from areas such as Vietnam, Asia, and China, said TDUK.
TDUK emphasized the importance of due diligence in verifying the country of origin of timber products, especially when dealing with new suppliers. The organization advised its members to exercise caution when encountering offers of birch plywood labeled as "from the Far East" or originating from countries like Turkey, Kazakhstan, or Kyrgyzstan.
