NEWS

More than 100,000 tons of illegal lumber has entered the European market, all linked to the Russian timber giant BM Group. The company is led by Russian tycoon Alexander Pudovkin, who now faces criminal charges of bribery and corruption. PEFC, a major timber accreditation body, has been criticized for "greenwashing" BM Group's exports.

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The Vietnamese wood products industry and its U.S. importers have denied the U.S. Trade Representative's allegations of unfair trade. Instead, they cite Vietnam's recent progress in combatting illegal logging, claiming that certification standards are adequate safeguards and that if there is illegal wood, it's in the domestic market and not for export. Vietnam and U.S.

Decorative Hardwoods Association (formerly HPVA) eNews Volume XIII, Issue XXIV: Vietnam's Wood Sector Confident They'll Hit 2020 Export Target | Trade Crisis Looms Between Australia & China - In Forests & Sea | Canada Mounts WTO Challenge To Lower U.S. Duties On Softwood Lumber | Ukraine's Ban On Wood Exports Ruled Illegal | U.S.

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Canada will challenge U.S. softwood lumber export duties through the World Trade Organization. The U.S. Department of Commerce has set a new average duty rate of 8.9% on Canadian softwood lumber imports, down from the original 20.2% rate applied in 2018.

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