American hardwoods are both legally produced and responsibly managed.
For customers there is a low risk of any hardwood of U.S. origin being derived either from an illegal or an unsustainable source.
The key findings of the 2017 Seneca Creek study (Assessment of Lawful Sourcing and Sustainability: U.S. Hardwood Exports) provide a clear and unambiguous guide to the risk (or more precisely – the lack of it) faced by those trading in U.S. hardwoods.
The report itself runs to over 200 pages and is available here
Key findings of the report include:
The data and information compiled for the Seneca Creek report provides evidence that U.S. hardwood supply chains meet all current due diligence standards as legal and sustainable.
The analysis is based upon standards of sustainability and legality prevailing at the time of the assessment in 2017 and contained in the following standard references: (1) FSC Controlled Wood (40-005 V3.1) (2) PEFC Chain of Custody (PEFC ST 2002:2013) (3) SFI Chain of Custody (Section 4-2015- 2019) & (4) Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) - UK Government Timber Procurement Policy.
An Expert Panel review of the Seneca Creek assessment commissioned by AHEC in 2018 found that “key findings consistently [are] supported by relevant and high-quality information and deeper analysis within the report”, and that the assessment:
The 2017 Seneca Creek Assessment for AHEC concluded 15 key factually supported and evidenced statements to demonstrate low risk of illegality or unsustainable practices in the production and trade in American hardwoods.
Click on the statements below for more information and links to the relevant sections of the report.