A brand new technique of timber evaluation developed by researchers from the College of Gothenburg can confidently determine the placement through which the tree was harvested. The tactic has been developed with the intention of combating unlawful timber imports from Russia and Belarus.
Unlawful logging and the related commerce in wooden merchandise is a worldwide drawback that threatens a few of the world’s most essential ecosystems. Researchers are attempting to fight this practise with a brand new scientific technique that may reveal the place a tree has been harvested. The researchers current their findings in a paper printed within the journal Nature Vegetation.
“The problem turned much more pressing after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian timber continues to be exported to the EU and the US regardless of imposed sanctions, by falsifying the origin of the timber. Unlawful timber exports are partly financing Russia’s conflict,” says Jakub Truszkowski, researcher in computational biology on the College of Gothenburg.
Chemical footprint
A rising tree is affected by its surroundings. Soil composition, environmental air pollution and local weather depart a chemical footprint in wooden tissue, and that is what the researchers use to find out its origin. First, a big assortment of reference materials is required. Then, utilizing machine studying, the researchers can decide whether or not the said harvest location of the pattern is right.
“We collected 900 wooden samples from 11 Jap European international locations, together with Belarus and Russia. We chosen oak, birch, pine and beech, all of that are essential within the timber commerce. By analysing and evaluating isotope ratios and the concentrations of 15 totally different hint components in wooden tissue, we will decide the harvest location of the tree inside a 200 kilometer radius,” says Jakub Truszkowski.
Helpful worldwide
The research led to the creation of a complete reference database on Jap European timber, tailor-made to merchandise below sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine. These information facilitated the event of strategies to confirm the authenticity of timber origin claims and even predict the placement of harvest.
“We wish to refine our technique in order that we will additional improve the accuracy and confidence in our predictions. It’s nonetheless below growth and can get higher the extra information we get,” says Jakub Truszkowski.
Whereas this research targeted on the unlawful timber commerce in Jap Europe, the strategy is relevant everywhere in the world. It’s estimated that greater than half of tropical timber could also be harvested illegally.
“It is very important shield extremely biodiverse forests from unlawful logging. By tracing the origin of timber, we will fight this apply,” says Jakub Truszkowski.
