FLEGT VPA Ad-Hoc Working Group: Gearing up for the online self-declaration system and self-declaration of reclaimed timber products

27 May 2022 - At the FLEGT VPA Ad-Hoc Working Group 4/2022, the Royal Forest Department, with support from the UN-REDD Initiative on Sustainable Forest Trade in the Lower Mekong Region, presented a website - “Sustainable Forest Management.” This website will allow operators to fill up and print out the self-declaration form for certifying the legal source of private land timber online. The website will help simplify the documentation process to facilitate all operators.

"Sustainable Forest Management" website for online self-declaration and resource and production management

Under the same website, farmers can also use the function to input data on their plantation – trees grown and harvested and production output, allowing farmers to monitor their production free without charge. This function aims to make sustainable forest management achievable for every farmer. Not only that, this will centralize the data of plantations in Thailand into one system for the most accurate assessment of Thailand’s forest land unit and forest resources. Right now, the system is still in the testing phase. The Royal Forest Department will make an official launch soon.

Traceability of reclaimed timber with self-declaration

To drive the reclaimed timber industry; the sustainable approach to wood consumption, the working group passed a Guideline on Self-Declaration for Reclaimed Timber Products. Using this guideline, operators can declare the legality of their products, facilitating their supply chain control and increasing product value. As the Forest Act does not regulate reclaimed timber as a processing material, this guideline will close this gap in the country’s supply chain control, strengthening the traceability of reclaimed timber. Previously, the working group has adopted self-declaration of reclaimed timber for in-province transportation, another unregulated supply chain control point. The Royal Forest Department will announce the two guidelines after a final review.

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