Partnership with U.S. Forest Service will help combat illegal logging

Partnership with U.S. Forest Service will help combat illegal logging

Forestry is big business, and so is illegal logging. International trade in illegally harvested wood ranks among the costliest transnational crimes, right up with counterfeiting, narcotics and human trafficking. Sometimes linked to terror organizations, it is considered a national security threat. It is a threat to the environment, to the domestic forestry industry and to communities that depend on forest production for their livelihoods. It’s estimated that U.S. industries lose $4 billion annually because of depressed wood prices and unrealized export opportunities.

The work of preventing illegally logged timber from entering the country falls to the Office of International Programs of the U.S. Forest Service (part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Soon, WSU Vancouver will have a big role in that work.

Through its international programs (USFS/IP), the Forest Service works via partnerships at home and abroad. Much of its lab work on timber trade analysis is done in Ashland, Ore., at the Wood Identification and Screening Center site co-located with the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory. WISC, as it is known, uses advanced technologies to determine the species and origin of wood samples.

In search of new and better methods to identify wood species and their origins, the Forest Service was looking for a partner with strong capabilities in stable isotope chemistry, state-of-the-art soil and plant analytic capabilities and existing relevant research in soils and wood. The new partner would also need to be able to host trainings, meetings and workshops, and be close to ports and a major airport.

WSU Vancouver had everything. Plus, “the Portland/Vancouver area is so important to forestry and trade,” said Kent Elliott, assistant director for trade at USFS/IP.

After much discussion, the USFS/IP established a partnership with WSU Vancouver for the next five years. New offices and lab space are under renovation and slated to open in the spring. Forest Service staff are expected to work on campus routinely.

A particular attraction was WSU Vancouver’s Organic Geochemistry and Stable Isotope Lab, led by Marc Kramer, associate professor in the School of the Environment. Kramer is the principal investigator for the project and will oversee the development of stable isotope and trace element analytical methods for wood and soil analysis. He will also oversee students involved in the project, the publication of studies carried out by the lab and presentations at professional meetings.

The stable isotope analyses will help identify the geographic origin of wood. “When combined with trace elements found in soils and wood, the methods collectively become powerful forensic tools to better trace the identity and origin of wood,” Kramer said. “What excites me most about this project is the idea that we can link the chemical fingerprint of local climates and soils with the trees they support using geochemistry.”

Several new educational opportunities and research outcomes for students are anticipated through the new grant. “The grant will enable us to hire new people, recruit a graduate student and provide lots of opportunities for undergraduate students to work,” said Christine Portfors, vice chancellor for research and graduate education. “It will be an awesome opportunity for students.” In addition, she said, USFS/IP will buy equipment to be housed on campus and available to other faculty and researchers as well. Because the opening of the Life Sciences Building freed up space in the Science and Engineering Building that could be renovated for the partnership, “it was perfect timing,” she said.

She called it “a great model for future opportunities—to have government agency workers partnering with our faculty and students on campus.” Kramer, who has been involved in a multitude of large multiagency research projects like this in the past, agrees. “These types of collaborations have a way of growing and having other partners come on board once they get started,” he said.

The WSU Vancouver facility will be a WISC site complementary to the facility in Ashland. While both will conduct lab analysis and research, the Vancouver site has “a lot more opportunity for private sector engagement and civil society engagement,” Elliott said. “The location in Ashland is a very secure environment and it is not set up for frequent trainings of international collaborators, while the Vancouver campus is more set up for public education and outreach.”

The Vancouver site will also be positioned to help promote legitimate trade of U.S. forest products. “They can help buyers of U.S. forest products know they’re buying what they think they’re buying, where it came from, and if it’s certified to be sustainably manufactured,” Elliott said. “So the work we’re doing with WSU Vancouver will help U.S. forest products and increase their market potential.”

Building the partnership was a significant team effort for WSU Vancouver. Portfors particularly praises Kramer, who drove the scientific collaboration and worked to make it a win-win for both sides from a scientific perspective; and Diane Rathbun, grant and contract manager, who put the contract together.

Photo caption: USFS Office of International Programs personnel Cameron Herring (left) celebrates a five-year partnership with WSU Vancouver representative Marc Kramer.