WASHINGTON, June 19 — The United States Congress approved landmark legislation June 19 to address the global illegal logging crisis. The U.S. becomes the first country in the world
to prohibit the import, sale or trade of illegally harvested wood and wood products.

“The world’s biggest consumer nation has sent a message that will be heard from forest to retail shelf: the United States’ doors are now closed to products made from illegal wood,” said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency, which
spearheaded the coalition supporting the ban.

The legislation amends the U.S. Lacey Act, a long-standing wildlife trafficking statute, to include trade in products made from illegally harvested wood. The law received definitive approval with Congress’s over-ride of President George Bush’s Farm Bill veto last night – a re-vote to correct procedural problems with the bill’s original passage on May 22nd.

The bill also creates a requirement for importers to declare the species and country of origin of any plant or plant product. This new measure, which will significantly increase transparency in global wood supply chains, goes into effect in 180 days.
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