World Trade Week Event: Public Briefing on Illegal Logging

In recognition of World Trade Week, today, the Office of the United States Trade Representative in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, held a public briefing on U.S. efforts to promote legally harvested timber through cooperative international engagement. David Brooks and Russell Smith, from USTR, and Philip Antweiler and Charles Barber, of the Department of State, described the United States’ leadership in drawing international attention to the economic and environmental consequences of illegal logging and trade. To accomplish this, the United States has established collaborative mechanisms with key countries through which various topics have been addressed including combating trade in illegally harvested timber and products made from such timber, promoting transparent markets for timber that has been harvested legally, and exchanging data in order to improve understanding about the nature of international trade in timber and timber products.