New European rules, to come into force on March 3, will ban the selling of illegally harvested timber or timber products and outline how those who trade on the EU market will need to comply.

The new legislation covers a wide selection of goods, from solid wood products to plywood and sheets for veneering. And the rules are the first in Europe to halt the illegal timber trade, although a similar law is already in place to cover the market in the United States.

In Britain, organisations such as the National Measurement Office (NMO) will be responsible for checking compliance with the new legislation, and imposing penalties for failures to comply.

The British Woodworking Federation, which has published a six-page guide to the legislation for members, said: “Any joinery company buying and selling timber products from within the EU market, or importing, will be affected by the new law, although by how much will vary.

“In some cases, compliance may just be a question of recording sales and purchases, in others, more complex systems could be needed to reduce any potential risk of selling illegal timber or timber products.”

Merchants are being encouraged to make themselves familiar with the new legislation, and how their responsibilities could change once it becomes law. At the same time, further clarification is due to be made over the next few months as to what exactly businesses need to do, as fresh information from the relevant authorities and monitoring organisations becomes available.

Environmental Guarantees from Booker Timber

At Booker Timber, we’re an independent timber merchant’s, supplying the UK’s industrial sector nationwide, along with regional DIY and trade customers across

the North West.

With our state of the art cutting equipment, we offer a specialist sheet material cutting, routering and machining service, whether you need cnc cutting, cut to

size chipboard or anything else.

And because we have had Chain of Custody Certification since 2008, you can use us safe in the knowledge that the trees used to make our products are replaced or allowed to regenerate in a natural way, while parts of the forest are left completely alone to protect rare plants and animals.

All wood is tracked, from forest to store, and Chain of Custody is the only wood certification scheme approved by organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the Woodland Trust.

Buy a Chanin of Confidence certified product with confidence that sustainably managed forests are being promoted.

So, at a time when the EU is clamping down on illegally harvested timber products, environmental concerns have never been more important.

But, whether you need cut to size MDF, machined hardwood or melamine faced chipboard, make us your first port of call, safe in the knowledge that what you are buying is environmentally sound.

Learn more about our products and machining facilities online today.