NEWS

Vietnam is preparing stricter penalties to crack down on trade fraud and the illegal transshipment of goods. The government has focused on tighter inspections of Chinese products in an attempt to comply with its new trade deal with the U.S. 

The European Parliament voted to reject the EU Deforestation Regulation's system that categorizes countries by deforestation risk. This marks yet another setback for the EUDR, sparking concerns that the law could be delayed again. The regulation was designed to ensure that products imported to or exported from EU markets do not contribute to global deforestation or forest degradation. 

DHA is consistently working to help expand the market for North American hardwoods. The Q3 edition of Surface and Panel Magazine capitalizes on the trend of wood drenching, featuring an article by DHA President Keith Christman that highlights the enduring beauty of hardwoods and the benefits of using decorative hardwoods in homes, including hardwood plywood, cabinets, engineered wood flooring, and furniture.

The American Hardwood Export Council’s American Hardwood Assured (AHA) platform is on track to launch on July 31. The free platform will help U.S. hardwood exporters quickly prepare standardized AHA statements for each shipment that confirm that there is negligible risk of illegal harvesting and deforestation.

PHOTO © Garrett English

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has published its preliminary report on the investigation into imports of hardwood and decorative plywood from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The preliminary report builds on USITC's recent determination that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by imports of hardwood and decorative plywood from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. This is good news for our industry.