SOUTH BEND, In. – In response to sellout attendance across the country, the International Wood Products Association (IWPA) has announced another date for its due care training program for wood trade professionals. The training program, “Seeing the Forest and the Trees,” will help participants establish standard operating procedures to comply with the Lacey Act and is designed for CEOs, CFOs, buyers, compliance staff, customs specialists, sales staff, overseas producers and exporters.

 

The day-long course will take place on Wednesday, August 30 in South Bend, Indiana, and will arm professionals buying and selling wood products with the latest information about resources and procedures to tailor a compliance system for their own market niche. By attending “Seeing the Forest and the Trees,” previous attendees were given a “sense of confidence when filling out documents” and learned new ways to update their compliance procedures. IWPA says all attendees who provided feedback felt the course was helpful in their daily work and more than half refer back to their training manual regularly.

 

The course was developed in partnership with the World Resources Institute using U.S. Agency for International Development funding. The course provides attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of the Lacey Act as well as other important laws relevant to the trade in wood products including regulations on formaldehyde, CITES and customs audits.

 

“We’re thrilled with the interest and response on this important training program,” said IWPA Executive Director Cindy Squires. “Industry leaders are taking compliance requirements across a range of regulations very seriously. As previous attendees have found, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to sourcing and compliance. These due diligence tools reflect the legal requirements and the industry’s need for flexibility to adjust their corporate standards and procedures based on the particular specifications of their product, the country of origin and the complexity of their supply chain.”

 

Registration for all upcoming courses can be found here. IWPA will continue to add new course dates and locations for 2017 and 2018 in the coming months.

Organizations interested in collaboration or hosting a training course near them should contact IWPA [email protected].

---

Established in 1956, the International Wood Products Association’s mission is to build acceptance and demand in North America for globally sourced wood products from sustainably managed forests. IWPA is the leading international trade association for the North American imported wood products industry, representing 200 companies and trade associations engaged in the import of hardwoods and softwoods. Association members consist of three key groups involved in the import process: U.S. importers and consuming industries, offshore manufacturers and the service providers that facilitate trade.