Using timber forensics to combat illegal timber trade
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- 5 min read
1 September 2026, Yokohama
The webinar, bringing together forestry experts from India and Indonesia, was held as part of a flagship ITTO project enhancing the production of high-quality timber from teak and other valuable species managed by smallholders (Pictured: clonal teak plantations in the farmlands of Tamil Nadu, India). © Dr R. Yasodha, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding
What if a piece of timber could reveal where it came from—even after it had been cut, transported and traded?
Advances in DNA analysis and other forensic technologies are making this increasingly possible, giving authorities new ways to verify the species and geographic origin of wood and detect timber that has been illegally harvested. These tools could close one of the most persistent gaps in efforts to build legal and sustainable timber supply chains: proving where timber actually comes from.
During a recent webinar, forestry experts discussed how DNA-based tools and other forensic technologies can address this challenge by providing scientific evidence to trace timber from harvesting to end use, and to support investigations and enforcement against illegal logging and timber laundering.
The session, the tenth in a series of 12 organized jointly by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Germany's Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH), and Kasetsart University, is part of a flagship ITTO project enhancing the production of high-quality timber from teak and other valuable species managed by smallholders.
Teak is grown in around 80 countries across the tropics. Its widespread cultivation and trade make the species particularly vulnerable to illegal logging and timber laundering.
In her opening remarks, ITTO Director of Forest Management Jennifer Conje explained that DNA barcoding and other forensic approaches can improve the tracking and traceability of teak and other timber species. With scientific evidence, supply chain claims can be verified, confidence sustained, international trade requirements met, certification schemes upheld, and illegal logging and timber laundering combated.
Timber forensics combines several scientific techniques to identify wood and investigate its origin. DNA barcoding can distinguish species by analyzing specific genetic material to differentiate populations and investigate geographic provenance.
India’s Kerala Forest Research Institute has responded to challenges arising from the illegal timber trade by developing and applying a suite of DNA-based and other forensic tools for species and origin identification. © ITTO
Forensic tools for tracing timber theft and geographic origin: insights from India
As one of the world’s largest markets and traders in teak, India faces challenges arising from the illegal timber trade. Suma Arun Dev, the Kerala Forest Research Institute’s (KFRI) Senior Principal Scientist and Head of its Department of Forest Biotechnology, noted that imports of illegally logged wood from conflict-affected Myanmar and illegal domestic felling across 17 states are a concern for policymakers.
KFRI has responded by developing and applying a suite of DNA-based and other forensic tools for species and origin identification.
Dr Arun Dev explained how the Institute has used DNA barcoding, isotope ratio analysis and other forensic tools to combat timber illegality. Since beginning this work in 2011, KFRI has developed a first-of-its-kind national reference DNA database for 60 tree species and established the Centre for DNA Barcoding and Timber Forensics to support efforts to strengthen legal and sustainable timber supply chains in India.
The drivers of the illegal timber trade in India are complex. High domestic demand and lax enforcement, combined with a harvesting sector affected by government policies and court rulings that prioritized conservation over sustainable forest management, contribute to the unfavourable situation, as explained by Dr Arun Dev. In this context, traditional timber identification methods based on anatomical and chemical characteristics were not always sufficient to reliably identify species or determine the origin of individual samples.
The difficulties in determining wood origins led to KFRI’s integrated forensic approach, with DNA barcoding a key aspect of this strategy. DNA barcoding can be used to identify timber species and, when combined with population-level genetic markers and reference databases, provide evidence about the geographic origin of individual samples. KFRI’s database brings together reference data for key species, providing a centralized resource for researchers, policymakers and law enforcement agencies. Using machine learning, Dr Arun Dev and her team have made the database more efficient and practical to use by enhancing its searchability and analytical capabilities.
The KFRI team continues to advance the use of forensic tools, employing simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to conduct genetic studies that have identified India’s distinct gene-ecological zones.
ITTO has supported the adoption of timber legality and sustainability norms across Indonesia, including through on-the-ground projects that conducted training and built implementation capacity among stakeholder groups. © ITTO
DNA barcoding at work in Indonesia
During the webinar, Ulfah J. Siregar from Indonesia’s IPB University noted that Indonesia also faces problems linked to illegality in its timber sector. In 2013, the country was estimated to be among the world’s three largest producers of illegal timber.
Mandatory certification of domestically harvested timber was a key response to this challenge. Through its Timber Legality and Sustainability Assurance System (SVLK), compliance has been strengthened across the Indonesian timber sector through traceability and audits designed to ensure legality and sustainability.
ITTO has supported the adoption of the SVLK across the Indonesian archipelago, including through an on-the-ground project in Java that raised awareness of the SVLK, conducted training and built implementation capacity among stakeholder groups. In combination, legislation such as the Forestry Law has created the legal framework to enforce and penalize illegality in the Indonesian timber industry.
Forensic technologies can complement these legal and institutional measures by strengthening timber identification, traceability and verification. As in India, wood identification technologies have enabled more precise identification of timber samples through methods such as DNA barcoding, conventional DNA markers and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis.
Professor Siregar and her team have put these methods into action, showcasing practical applications across the country. She presented several case studies demonstrating how DNA analysis can be used to compare timber samples with reference material. By examining genetic similarities between samples of known and uncertain origin, researchers can assess whether timber is consistent with a claimed source and provide scientific evidence to support investigations into its provenance.
A global timber forensic database could allow authorities in different countries to compare timber samples against shared reference data, strengthening cross-border verification of species and geographic origin. © Tetra Yanuariadi/ITTO
Towards a global system for tracing and verifying teak
To standardize and broaden the adoption of forensic technologies, international cooperation and knowledge sharing are necessary.
Participants suggested establishing a global timber forensic database, building on the national reference systems developed by KFRI and Indonesian researchers. Such a system could allow authorities in different countries to compare timber samples against shared reference data, strengthening cross-border verification of species and geographic origin.
As timber supply chains become increasingly complex, scientific evidence can complement certification and conventional traceability systems. The experiences presented by experts during the webinar demonstrate how DNA-based tools and other forensic approaches can strengthen the ability to verify the legality of timber species.
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