Ban illegal timber

Hi, my name is Sini Harkki and I would like you to help me in Finland. I’m a student and in my spare time, I work to save forests in Finland and around the world. I’ve been working with Greenpeace helping an undercover investigation team to expose wood that’s been illegally logged in Russia and imported into Finland.

We are trying to make the Finnish Government take responsibility for this problem, but they’ve been avoiding the issue. When we told our Government about this illegal logging scandal they said that they shouldn’t get involved! Wood from Russia is made into many things, like paper, cardboard for packaging, plywood and furniture - and you might even be buying it.

You can help by sending a letter to Mr Mauri Pekkarinen, Finland’s Minister of Trade and Industry, asking for laws to stop illegal timber being imported and sold in Europe.

Your name

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Dear Mr Pekkarinen,

cc: Ms Paula Lehtomaki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development

Illegal and destructive logging is destroying forests world-wide and the European Union is a large importer of timber from countries such as Indonesia, Cameroon, Russia and Brazil, where illegal and destructive logging is rife.

Timber traders are getting away with selling illegally and destructively logged timber throughout Europe. Instead of being punished, they are allowed to profit from their crimes and continue to distort the market with their cheap stolen timber.

Finland imports 25 percent of its wood from Russia where estimates of illegal logging are reported to be as high as 90 percent. Illegally logged Russian wood that is imported into Finland is processed into products like paper, packaging board, sawn timber and furniture and then exported to Europe and the rest of the world. This makes consumers of these products unwitting participants in forest crime.

Since 2003 the European Union member states and Commission have been talking about the problem of illegal logging, and have so far only come up with voluntary action so far - and that is not enough. Every two seconds an area of forest the size of a football field disappears. That is a lot of forest since 2003.

Unfortunately Finland is one of the EU Member States most in favour of a limited voluntary approach, preferring to protect industry interests over and above ensuring that European demand for timber and timber products doesn't fuel illegal and destructive logging in forests around the world.

But it is not too late to change that. Political inaction in Europe is destroying forests world-wide. Please do not let Finland stand in the way of action. I want you to immediately support legislation to ban illegal timber and timber products and to ensure that ultimately all wood products on the European market are from legally logged and responsibly managed forests.

Thank you.