WASHINGTON, DC  – New regulations prohibiting illegally harvested timber or wood products derived from that timber from entering the European Union are receiving praise by North American forestry-related groups.

Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI), lauded the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) which took effect March 3. "Illegal logging undermines responsible forest governance, damages wildlife habitat, and reduces the potential for forests to provide stable supplies of products and support local communities," Abusow said in a statement. "The EUTR, just like the U.S. Lacey Act, is an important regulatory tool to address illegal logging and enable legal global trade in forest products."

Abusow gave her views while speaking at The Economist World Forests Summit in Stockholm, Sweden, on the topic of timber regulations that prohibit the sale of illegally harvested timber. Abusow cited the timber regulations as one of many mechanisms to combat illegal logging. "Products certified to forest certification standards, including PEFC (the independent Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and SFI, are demonstrating they have mechanisms in place to avoid illegal fiber in the supply chain, and are committed to promoting responsible forestry," she said.