Environmentalists blame FTAs for increased illegal timber shipments

Environmentalists blame FTAs for increased illegal timber shipments    A Washington-based environmental group issued a report Thursday blaming U.S. free trade agreements for increased illegal timber shipments from Latin America and Southeast Asia.
   The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) report cites U.S. free trade agreements with Singapore and Honduras through the Central American Free Trade Agreement as concrete examples that have stimulated the illegal timber market.
   “Unfortunately, U.S. free trade pacts are speeding the destruction of Asian and Latin American forests by failing to prohibit imports of illegal timber,” said Alexander von Bismarck, EIA’s campaigns director, in a statement. “The U.S. government must enact a ban on illegal timber imports if it is interested in the health of the global environment and the U.S. timber industry.”
   The report said Singapore remains a regional hub for illegal timber trade, including serving as a center for financing and brokering timber deals and providing related shipping services.
   The EIA released its report as the United States wraps up its first round of free trade talks with Malaysia, another large Asian source for illegal timber. The report estimated that Malaysia is a major recipient of illegal logs from Indonesia, collecting up to 3 million cubic meters last year.
   According to the EIA, Malaysia has become a primary source of illegal timber entering the United States. In 2005, the United States imported $827 million of timber and wood products from Malaysia. The report also noted that overall illegal timber entering the United States costs the domestic timber business more than $1 billion in losses.
   To put the squeeze on illegal timber suppliers, such as Malaysia, the EIA urged the Bush administration and Congress to create a law prohibiting entry of illegal timber imports before signing any future trade agreements with timber trading countries.