NAMIBIA — In a significant step forward in the fight against illegal timber trafficking in Namibia and sub-Saharan Africa, the International Programs Office of the USDA Forest Service has established a Wood Identification & Screening Center in Windhoek, Namibia. 

Namibia’s natural forest resources are under threat. A rapid increase in exotic hardwood timber exports from Namibia, challenges in permitting and monitoring systems, and negative impacts from unrestrained timber harvesting have combined to rob Namibians of natural resources and ecosystems that furnish livelihoods, economy, culture and heritage. Globally, the demand for prized wood surged dramatically in recent years. Illegal logging and associated trade, once an emerging threat, now constitute the third largest transnational organized crime sector by value, following counterfeiting and drug trafficking. Namibia serves as a transit point for both legal and illegal timber from neighboring countries and beyond.

The new WISC center in Namibia will assist law enforcement and regulatory agencies in verifying the declarations of forest products and gathering evidence to prosecute illegal logging cases. The center is a collaboration between the USDA Forest Service; Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism; Namibian Revenue Agency; Namibian Police; and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

From May 3-20, 2024, the Forest Service WISC, co-located in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, in Ashland, Oregon, hosted four employees of the new Namibia WISC for a study tour. Participants learned the fundamental principles and procedures of timber identification used in the US and joined seasoned forensic chemists in collecting wood samples, analyzing spectra and testing for unknown species. They also learned how to use the Direct Analysis in Real Time time-of-flight mass spectrometer, an instrument that can be used to identify wood species from a sliver-sized wood sample. They gained familiarity with the software system, practiced assessing accuracy and learned basic maintenance for the machine. While the Namibian study tour participants were in the U.S., a new DART TOFMS arrived at the WISC office in Namibia.

“The trainers at the WISC lab made us feel so welcome and were incredibly knowledgeable and approachable,” said study tour participant Orletta Hamata. “The hands-on sessions were the highlight for me. Getting to use the DART TOFMS and seeing how the wood identification technique works in real life was super fascinating. It really brought everything to life and gave me a much better grasp of the subject.”

The International Programs Office of the Forest Service has been working in Namibia since 2019 and receives funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.