TEFSO Newsletter Issue No. 25 (Jun. - Aug. 2021) - Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office (TEFSO)

In this issue:

Comparison of import control measures (EU, US, Thailand’s concept);
Introduction to self-declaration of timber on private land;
Jae-jong Old Wooden House: A female-owned SME, Thailand reclaimed timber old hand;
Ms. Warangkana Rattanarat, Director, RECOFTC Thailand and the role of CSO in FLEGT VPA

Catch-up FLEGT

EUTR or EU Timber Regulation is the regulation on timber import effective to the EU member states for more information.

Lacey Act is a US law specifying that “it is unlawful to import, export, sell, acquire, or purchase fish, wildlife or plants that are taken, possessed, transported, or sold: 1) in violation of U.S. or Indian law, or 2) in interstate or foreign commerce involving any fish, wildlife, or plants taken possessed or sold in violation of State or foreign law”, for more information.

Law Simplified

The amendment of the Forest Act (No. 8) C.E. 2019, has deregulated every tree on private land. Anyone can harvest, transport, possess and process the tree freely. To assist timber owners who wish to prove the legality of their wood, Article 18/2 of the Forest Act provides 3 voluntary methods for the operators to choose from;

Applying for the timber certificate as described in Article 18 with the Royal Forest Department; or
Proceeding with the process on Forest Plantation Act; or
Issuing the self-declaration form.

Certification with the Royal Forest Department and Forest Plantation Act are self-explanatory, so we don’t think it would be necessary to go into details. But if you are wondering what this new concept of self-declaration is? No worries, Law Simplified got you covered.

The guideline on self-declaration is developed by the FLEGT VPA Ad-hoc Working Group, whose members are government, private and civil society sectors. The Ad-hoc Working Group takes great care to draft the self-declaration that is fit-for-use by timber owners to prove their wood’s legality by themselves. The self-declaration will facilitate timber transport and selling to the primary buyer/mill. Not only that but it can also be used to apply for the timber certificate of Article 18/1 for exporting logs.The FLEGT VPA Ad-Hoc Working Group held various rounds of stakeholder consultation across Thailand, conducted studies, and field-tested to ensure that the self-declaration guideline is fit-for-purpose. Currently, the guideline is under the last reviewing stage by the Royal Forest Department before announcing it to the public.

The Forest Economics Office of the Royal Forest Department, the main agency behind economic forest policies in Thailand, believes that the guideline could be announced this year. To promote the understanding and capacity of both the government officers and the business sector, the Royal Forest Department will step up public information and activities.

Timber Insider

The shifting global trend towards circular consumption has benefited Thailand’s reclaimed wood industry. Not only is reclaimed wood eco-friendly, but its unique selling points have also attracted wide ranges of consumers from antique collectors, woodworkers and homeowners. After sanding and polishing, old wood can look just like new with a fraction of the price, provides greater durability and does not warp! Thailand, as one of the important tropical timber-producing countries, has many reclaimed exotic wood to offer, such as Teak, Maka, Malabar Iron, Burmese Sal, Redwood and Paduak. In this issue, we take you to Bang Phae District, Ratchaburi, to meet Ms. Leewadee Champahom, a third generation of the Jae-jong Old Wooden House.

By Ms. Leewadee’s account, it would not be an overstatement to say that Jae-jong Old Wooden House is one of the first reclaimed wood stores in Thailand, ‘My grandfather was the trailblazer who kick-started Bang-Phae to become the go-to place for reclaimed timber as we know today. His first start into the business was when he tore down his house and did know what to do with the wood so he tried to sell it. To his surprise, it sold out very quickly.’ – said Ms. Leewadee.

From a humble beginning 40 years ago, Jae-jong Old Wooden House has grown to become an SME powerhouse providing all-around services from selling wood planks to producing made-to-order furniture, door frame, and knock-down house. Their services do not stop there; the shop also provides construction and interior services.

Jae-jong Old Wooden House supplies wood to diverse customers from farmers who turn them into barns, homeowners, interiors, architects – both Thais and foreigners who are drawn to the affordability, durability and distinctive look of reclaimed timber.

Though reclaimed timber is almost devoid of illegality risk, to assure there is no practice of laundering new timber, Jae-jong Old Wooden House has a robust supply chain control measure from visiting the demolished site before acquiring, collecting evidence, keeping incoming-outgoing timber record and obtaining all required documents.

Ms. Leewadee has joined the FLEGT VPA process with the Reclaimed Timber Association ‘this is the first time I get to join an initiative which pushes for Thailand forest policy reform’.

With support from FLEGT VPA, the Reclaimed Timber Association has led the project to develop a reclaimed timber supply chain control system to increase clarity and practicality of the country’s regulation which will benefit the Thai reclaimed timber in the domestic and international markets.

Ms. Leewadee believes that if all sectors, especially the government, push for policy that facilitates reclaimed timber and promotes its presence in Thailand and abroad, reclaimed timber will definitely become a prominent actor comparable with other Thai wood products.

Shout out to all the environmentalist, antique lovers, or just anyone who want an affordable, sustainable, and legal timber. You can find more information on Jae-jong Old Wooden House at https://www.facebook.com/JaeJong.oldwood.

Photo: Jae-jong Old Wooden House

Perspective

Perspective: Ms. Warangkana Rattanarat,i Director for Thailand, RECOFTC

Article

TEFSO Newsletter Issue No. 25 (Jun. – Aug. 2021)

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