The Timber Development UK (TDUK) reminds its members of the ongoing issue of illegal imports of conflict timber from Russia and Belarus. The organization urges its members to remain vigilant and take necessary preventive measures to avoid unintentional procurement of wood products related to these regions. TDUK emphasized the astonishing practice of Russian birch plywood and other conflict timber being smuggled into the market through third-party countries.
According to TDUK, although the European Union and the United Kingdom prohibit the import of wood products from certain regions of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, the report shows that these materials are still entering countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. TDUK stated that in order to evade the ban, illegal entities used false statements from regions such as Vietnam, Asia, and China to cover up the source of Russian birch plywood and other conflict timber.
TDUK emphasizes the importance of due diligence in verifying the country of origin of wood products, especially when dealing with new suppliers. The organization suggested that its members should be cautious when encountering quotations for birch plywood marked "from the Far East" or from countries such as Türkiye, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan