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Forensic Wood Science: science & technology in enforcement Shelley Gardner U.S. Forest Service, International Programs

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Forensic Wood Science:

science & technology in enforcement

Shelley Gardner U.S. Forest Service, International Programs

U S F O R E S T S E R V I C E

i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s

Technical Cooperation

Policy

Disaster Programs

Outreach and Partnerships

www.fs.fed.us/global

Policy and legislative context Forests and Forestry – U.S. Approach

• Value and take account of multiple goods and services of forest ecosystems – promoting sustainable forest management

• Address underlying causes of deforestation (e.g., tenure, corruption, perverse incentives)

• Support participatory approaches - raising awareness and building capacity through bilateral and multilateral efforts

• Base policy on the best available science

• Strengthen transparency and accountability in the international trade in forest products.

Policy and legislative context U.S. Efforts to Strengthen Forest Governance & Combat

Illegal Logging and Associated Trade

MOUs with Indonesia and China

Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue

Commitments in trade agreements

Bilateral and regional assistance for forestry

Support for ITTO Programs and Projects

Support for RAFT and Forest Legality Alliance

Amended Lacey Act - adds an enforcement tool

Investment in legality assurance technologies

USFS tools and technology to combat illegal logging and associated trade

• Forest inventory and

monitoring

• Timber tracking

• Wood identification, wood science

Forensic Wood Science

Compliance and enforcement – legislative and market requirements

Timber tracking and forensic support

• Wood identification

• Genus, species

• Geographic origin

• Cultivated vs. wild

• Individual

Based on information inherent to the wood –

cannot be falsified

• Independent from CoC documents following the product

USFS Forest Products Laboratory

USFS National Forest Genetics Laboratory

US Fish & Wildlife Service National Forensics Laboratory

US Customs and Border Protection Laboratories and Scientific Services

Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History

Scientific & Forensic Network

Lab scientist at work.

Credit: USFWS

The US Fish and

Wildlife Service

Forensics Lab.

Credit: USFWS

Complementary technologies Scientific, tamper-proof systems where technologies verify genus, species, and geographic origin anyplace along supply chain.

Chain of custody documentation

Falsifiable and substitutable

Wood Anatomy

Taxonomic identity, not always to species

Mass Spectrometry

Taxonomic identity, geographic origin, wild vs. cultivated

Stable isotopes

Geographic origin

Molecular genetics

Individual identity

Taxonomic identity, often to species

Geographic origin

Applying science to chain of custody

Wood anatomy

• Classical laboratory analysis

• Fiber testing

• Field identification manuals

• Automated wood ID

• Wood anatomy of molecular techniques

Mass Spectrometry

Stable Isotopes

DNA

Scientific and forensic initiatives

Wood anatomy classical laboratory analysis

Depends on highly specialized scientific expertise and access to xylarium (reference samples)

• Access to scientifically sound voucher samples relevant for other emerging technologies as well

USFS FPL long standing history—Center for Wood Anatomy Research

Traditional analysis of seized material

• CITES and Lacey violations

Pulp and paper microscopy

Experts can determine:

•Pulping process

(mechanical, chemical)

•Wood type

(e.g. hardwoods,

softwoods)

•Genus, sometimes species

Wood anatomy

fiber analysis of pulp and paper products

Wood anatomy Field identification manuals

CITES Tropical Timber Manual

Identificacion de las especies maderables de Centroamerica

Inter-laboratory cooperation: Brazilian Forest Products Lab (LPF IBAMA) and University of Turin, Italy

Alex C. Wiedenhoft, Research Botanist

Wood anatomy Automated wood ID

Field manuals and training inefficient, more efficient identification necessary

Use computers and sensors to produce machine vision wood ID device

Low cost off-the-shelf hardware, open source software, central database, open platform

Hybrid human-machine learning (HHML)

Alex C. Wiedenhoft, Research Botanist

John C. Hermanson, Research Scientist

Columbia University, the University of

Maryland, Smithsonian Institution

Wood anatomy of molecular techniques

Improving efficiency in extracting DNA of sufficient quality and quantity from wood products

Indentify DNA in wood – predictably located in certain cells

Pre-processing specimens can maximize extraction efficiency

Evaluate extractions

Alex C. Wiedenhoft, Research Botanist

Brook Milligan, NM State University

Mass Spectrometry

• Rosewood (Dalbergia)

• Species determination

• Agarwood (Aquilaria)

• Genus determination

• Country of origin

• Cultivated vs. wild

DNA vTI Institute of Forest Genetics—Germany

ITTO-Project: Development and

implementation of a species identification

and timber tracking system with DNA

fingerprints and stable isotopes in Africa

Russia-Germany-US

Timber tracking and species

identification of Russian larch and Mongolian oak

Enhanced Capacity for Wood ID in Latin America

DNA Barcoding Endangered Species, Google Global Impact Award

Genomics approaches make traditional

‘molecular analyses’ faster, cost

effective

Genomics provide useful solutions in

species identification, delimitation

Genomics give richer insights into

population biology

Genomics help identify genes that

control adaptive traits

DNA

Implications of accessible genomics

Rich Cronn, USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station

The way forward - collaboration Investment in R&D, technology transfer and outreach,

public—private partnerships

International Barcode of Life (iBOL/CBOL)

• Tree Barcode of Life (TreeBOL)

The Global Timber Tracking Network (GTTN)

US State Dept. “Call to Action”

• Identifying training and technology needs

Law Enforcement

• WENs,

• INTERPOL

Forensic Wood Science Application

Timber theft (DNA, Individualization)

• Suspect apprehended with with truckload of firewood.

• Determined, through DNA Analysis, that the firewood came from a recently cut stump on FS National Forest land.

• Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

• Walnut tree and cherry tree stolen from private property. Investigators confiscated walnut log from a lumber mill and knew the identity of the seller, used DNA to match the log back to the stump.

• Open cases • Economic impact increasing

The scene of the fire origin.

Using Plant DNA as

Evidence in a Fire

Investigation

A branch touched a

transformer and

sparked a fire.

In evidence: the

branch that was

entangled with the

transformer.

From which

tree/stump did the

branch come from.

Arson (DNA, individualization)

DNA Showed that

it Came from Here

Government recovered ~$7 million from power company

CDF Thought Here

State v. Bogan • Woman’s body found in the desert, near

several Palo Verde trees.

• 2 seed pods found in bed of truck

defendant was driving before the murder.

• Geneticist testified that the two pods

“were identical” and “matched completely

with” a particular tree and “didn’t match

any of the [other] trees’” and that he felt

“quite confident in concluding that” the

tree’s DNA would be distinguishable from

that of “any tree that might be furnished”

to him.

• Jury convicted defendant of murder, and

jurors reportedly found this testimony

very persuasive.

Murder case (individualization)

Trade cases

• Trade in Brazilian rosewood, Dalbergia nigra

• (mass spectrometry, class character ID)

• Trade in Agarwood, Aquileria (mass spectrometry, class character ID and cultivated vs. wild)

• Trade in Mongolian oak, Quercus mongolica (wood anatomy, class character ID)

Thank you

U S F O R E S T S E R V I C E

i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s

www.fs.fed.us/global