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Forestry Guilds Launch "Good Wood" Campaign to Prevent Illegal Trade and Protect Workers

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The main forestry and timber industry guilds presented the campaign "Good Wood, Trusted from Its Origin" to the community. The initiative aims to encourage consumers to purchase legal and traceable wood through a tracking system that identifies the origin of the wood being acquired—whether logs or processed timber for retail sale, industrial plant supply, construction projects, household use, or home repairs and improvements.

The implemented system will allow tracking the origin, characteristics, journey, and destination of wood extracted from forests. This effort seeks to reduce timber theft and illegal trafficking, a growing issue in Chile that causes annual losses exceeding $70 million and has intensified in recent years.

This action primarily aims to protect workers, especially small and medium-sized forest owners and timber-related SMEs.

The initiative was introduced by six major sector guilds: the Chilean Biomass Association (Achbiom), the Small and Medium Timber Industrialists Guild Association (Pymemad), the Forestry Contractors Association (Acoforag), the College of Forestry Engineers of Chile (Cifag), the Native Forest Owners Association (Aprobosque), and the Chilean Wood Corporation (Corma). These organizations collaborated to develop a best practices manual for those involved in wood purchasing and production.

René Muñoz, manager of the Forestry Contractors Association (Acoforag), stated, "A crucial aspect of the traceability protocol is the impact of timber theft on informal forestry labor. Some workers operate informally—without contracts, tax contributions, or access to mutual insurance in case of accidents. Therefore, besides tackling timber theft, we will address labor informality in illegal operations that violate property rights."

Regarding the importance of forest protection, Pymemad President Michelle Esquerré noted, "Climate change highlights the value of wood in housing construction—offering greater habitability, comfort, and durability than many materials, with a lower carbon footprint. Protecting our national forest heritage is essential, as it is one of the most diverse sectors for the future economy."

Chile has 23,000 productive forest owners, 90,000 native forest owners, and 19,000 forestry-related businesses, generating jobs for over 300,000 people.

To date, 65 SMEs, medium, and large companies—representing 70% of the wood traded annually in the country, including retail giant Sodimac—have joined the "Good Wood, Trusted from Its Origin" system. The implementation has also involved collaboration from Conaf and the Internal Revenue Service (SII).

How does the "Good Wood, Trusted from Its Origin" traceability system work?

The system consists of six stages that every company or individual must follow when purchasing forestland for harvesting.

First stage:

Property Analysis: The process begins when a person or company seeks to buy or is offered wood, requiring reliable information about its origin or property. Key details (volume, species, age, etc.) are essential to finalize the purchase.

Second stage:

Wood Purchase: Once the purchase is completed, traceability control begins with transportation, recording transaction details. This includes registering suppliers, transporters, drivers, volumes, loading locations, and specific destinations.

Third stage:

Loading and Transport: After identifying the origin, the purchased wood is loaded and transported. The loading cycle involves photo documentation, loading times, and georeferencing, along with measurements to monitor the wood's condition upon arrival.

Fourth stage:

Monitoring: Data on each origin, load, and transport is shared with the destination before the truck arrives. Early alerts are issued if a truck violates protocols or breaks the control chain, with documentation provided to the buyer.

Fifth stage:

Reception and Unloading: Based on monitoring and alerts, the wood may or may not be accepted and unloaded at the specified destination.

Sixth stage:

End Customer: Traceable information must be provided to ensure responsible purchasing of wood products.