USW Legislative staffer Roy Houseman recently spoke about the Lacey Act on Terra Verde, a weekly public affairs program carried by KPFA-FM in Berkeley, CA.
Congress amended the Lacey Act in 2008 to prohibit the import of illegally harvested wood products into the United States. The USW, environmental groups and politicians on both sides of the aisle supported the law. Since its passage, illegal logging decreased 22 percent, but problems continue.
International demand for timber and products such as wood flooring, plywood and decking is driving the illegal logging of the lands of indigenous people and into national parks in other countries. It is estimated that 10 to 30 percent of the world’s timber supply is tainted by illegal logging. In producer countries where there is weak governance, upwards of 80 percent of the harvest occurs illegally.
Not only are governments denied tax revenue, human rights defenders are attacked, deforestation increases and U.S. paper workers lose jobs because their mills cannot compete against foreign producers that buy the cheaper, illegally-sourced wood.
Houseman understands this problem firsthand. He worked at a Smurfit-Stone mill in Missoula, Mont., that produced 2,000 tons of kraft linerboard a day to make cardboard boxes. The mill shut down several years ago because of unfair trade.
“The U.S. industry wants to be competitive and our members want to be competitive with the global marketplace, but when you have companies or actors that are illegally harvesting wood or not paying their taxes or stumpage fees, it cuts the ability of domestic producers to compete.”
To hear the full interview, click the audio below: