The IAWA Journal article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Congratulations to the authors!

With the introduction of Xylorix Inspector, a smartphone app developed by Agritix that provides rapid wood species identification capability in the field. With little training, personnel are able to utilise it as an early warning tool to verify potential fraudulent timber declaration, and suspend the shipment for further investigation where more definitive methods such as DNA can be carried out. The Xylorix Inspector app works by taking a macroscopic end-grain picture of a wood with a mounted macro lens. The picture is then sent to a cloud server where a trained AI algorithm identifies the received picture and returns the identification result. All can be achieved in a matter of seconds.

Agritix has also developed the Xylorix PocketWood app, a free app that provides quick access to a large database of curated macroscopic images of close to 400 wood species worldwide, making it easier to discover and learn about new wood species and their distinctive macroscopic end-grain patterns.

Both apps are available for iPhones and Android phones:

Xylorix Inspector (Android): http://bit.ly/XyInsp_Android

Xylorix Inspector (iOS): https://apple.co/2TUCC9G

Xylorix PocketWood (Android): https://bit.ly/pktWood_adrd

Xylorix PocketWood (iOS): https://apple.co/3ktJjuN

The Xylorix macro lens kit can be found here: https://www.xylorix.com/products/widk24x01

The Agritix company is actively looking for collaborators who are interested in developing wood species AI models and solutions together. Anyone who is interested can get in touch with them through this email: agritix@agritix.com, or visit www.xylorix.com for more information.

The stakeholders use their digital identities to record timber information on each step of the supply chain, such as forest, sawmill, kiln drying facility, and supplier facility. This way, the buyer can trace the route of the timber they have purchased and verify if it comes from a legal, certified source.

iov42 works together with Preferred by Nature, a globally recognized certification company, and Carl Ronnow, an international timber supplier from Malaysia. They will soon start the Proof of Concept (PoC), which will focus on the import of tropical timber into the European Union (EU) market. After the successful implementation of the PoC, there will be a chance to expand to other regional markets.

The UN Environment Programme estimates that globally 15 – 30% of timber is taken illegally. The international illegal timber trade is worth $50B – $150B USD annually. The organization Earthsight identified three main problems that have caused the loss of revenue and ecological threats: the circumvention or ignoring of the environmental regulation, the use of “ghost employees” and the illegal exports that drive down legal timber prices. This situation worsens in developing and countries that are prone to corruption, where authorities have been found to often be ineffective in auditing supply chains and certifying compliance with regulation and additional standards.

The app contains descriptions and an interactive identification system for 46 trade relevant CITES-listed timbers (e.g., ebony, mahogany, rosewood) known for their use as lumber and downstream processing into products. In addition, the database covers 34 traded similar timbers which can be mistaken for CITES taxa.

What has CITESwoodID to offer?

• Interactive identification of the most important CITES-protected timbers (hardwoods and softwoods) based on macroscopic features to be observed with the unaided eye or with a hand lens, high quality colour illustrations of wood characters and timbers featuring transverse (10x) and longitudinal planes (natural size),
• Complete timber descriptions accompanied by high quality colour illustrations depicting characteristic wood features, and
• A textbook with definitions, explanations, procedures, etc. for most features used in the description of the timbers in terms of wood structure.

This innovative tool helps teaching at educational facilities with related curricula and it is also suitable for self-taught.

Find it at

AppStore: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/citeswoodid/id1534768227

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.bfn.CITESwoodID

• Establishment of a global network of wood collections and wood properties databases to share relevant data and information for wood identification,
• Promotion of the research cooperation among wood anatomists and relevant scientists worldwide to develop innovative and accurate wood identification tools, and
• Promotion of the conservation of tree species diversity, legal and sustainable trade in the timber industry chains.

This Research Group will strengthen its collaboration with GTTN, IAWA, CITES, IAWS, ITTO and other relevant international/regional organizations, and play an important role in the research development and technology innovation of wood identification to promote legal logging and timber trade chain of custody. For more information on the research group, go here or contact prof. Yafang Yin (yafang (at) caf.ac.cn). 

GTTN secretariat hopes to boost a successful implementation of the research group with the launch of the GTTN Information System, which combines both a Service Providers Directory (SPD) and a Reference Database.

To find expertise on the wood identification, check out the SPD. If you have expertise that is not yet represented in the database, please contact us.

For more information on the GTTN tool to share samples and reference database, please visit the Ref DB.

The Service Provider Directory helps those in need of wood identification services to find the right expertise.

The Reference Database allows an overview of existing reference data with the option to upload and share the actual datasets.

Register today!

Here’s what you can learn:

• How to enter your contact information on the Directory
• Query to search for wood identification service providers
• Best practices on how to upload your sample data or metadata on the Database
• Share with flexibility in selecting who you share with
• Solutions from previous experiences

Logistics:

The webinars will be held at three different times to cover the Americas (AMER); Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. The working language will be English. Simultaneous interpretation will be available depending on the meeting in Spanish, French and Chinese.

• AMER: 14 October 2020 – 11am (UTC-4, CDMX 10am, Lima 10am, Connecticut 11am, Ottawa 11am, Rio de Janeiro 12md)
• EMEA: 19 October 2020 – 8am (UTC-4, Yaoundé 1pm, Berlin 2pm, Johannesburg 2pm, Istanbul 3pm, Nairobi 3pm)
• APAC: 21(22) October 2020 – 10pm (UTC-4, New Delhi 7:30am, Jakarta 9am, Beijing 10am, Tokyo 11am, Adelaide 12:30pm)

Register here

Even if you cannot join live, register and we will send you a personal link to the recorded webcast to watch at your convenience.

Please do not hesitate to contact Jose Bolaños if you have any further questions.

Únase a los seminarios en línea de la Red Global de Rastreo de Madera (GTTN por sus siglas en inglés) y aprenda cómo aprovechar el Directorio de Proveedores de Servicio y la Base de Datos de Referencia.
El Directorio de Proveedores de Servicio permite a las personas encontrar servicios de identificación de madera con la experiencia correcta.
La Base de Datos de Referencia muestra datos existentes con la opción para subir y compartir datos.

¡Regístrese hoy!

Que va a aprender en este seminario en línea:

• Cómo ingresar los datos de contacto en el Director
• Hacer búsquedas de servicios de identificación de madera
• Buenas prácticas para subir datos o metadatos en la Base de Datos
• Cómo compartir y seleccionar qué y con quién se comparte
• Soluciones basadas en casos anteriores

Logística:
Los seminarios se ofrecen en tres momentos para cubrir las regiones de Américas (AMER), Europa, Oriente Medio y África (EMEA), y Asia Pacífico (APAC). El idioma de trabajo será inglés, y tendremos interpretación simultánea remota dependiendo del evento en español, francés y mandarín.

• AMER: 14 octubre 2020 – 11am (UTC-4, CDMX 10am, Lima 10am, Connecticut 11am, Ottawa 11am, Rio de Janeiro 12md)
• EMEA: 19 octubre 2020 – 8am (UTC-4, Yaundé 1pm, Berlín 2pm, Johannesburgo 2pm, Estambul 3pm, Nairobi 3pm)
• APAC: 21(22) octubre 2020 – 10pm (UTC-4, New Delhi 7:30am, Yakarta 9am, Beijing 10am, Tokio 11am, Adelaida 12:30pm)

Regístrese aquí

Si no puede atender el seminario, regístrese y le enviáremos un hipervínculo personalizado con la grabación para que pueda verlo cuando sea conveniente.

No dude en contactar a Jose Bolaños si tiene más preguntas.

Rejoignez-nous pour les prochains séminaires du Réseau mondial de suivi du bois (GTTN) et apprenez comment tirer profit de l’annuaire des fournisseurs de services et de la base de données de référence.
L’annuaire des fournisseurs de services aide ceux qui ont besoin de services d’identification du bois à trouver l’expertise adéquate.
La base de données de référence permet d’avoir une vue d’ensemble des données de référence existantes avec la possibilité de télécharger et de partager les ensembles de données réels.
Enregistrez-vous dès aujourd’hui!

Voici ce que vous pouvez apprendre :

• Comment inscrire vos coordonnées dans l’annuaire 
• Recherche de fournisseurs de services d’identification du bois
• Meilleures pratiques sur la manière de télécharger vos échantillons de données ou métadonnées dans la base de données
• Partager avec souplesse en choisissant vos correspondants
• Solutions issues des expériences précédentes

La logistique :
Les webinaires se tiendront à trois moments différents pour couvrir les régions des Amériques (AMER) ; de l’Europe, du Moyen-Orient et de l’Afrique (EMEA) ; et de l’Asie-Pacifique (APAC). La langue de travail sera l’anglais. L’interprétation simultanée sera disponible en fonction de la réunion en espagnol, français et chinois.

• AMER : 14 octobre 2020 – 11h (UTC-4, CDMX 10h, Lima 10h, Connecticut 11h, Ottawa 11h, Rio de Janeiro 12md)
• EMEA : 19 octobre 2020 – 8h (UTC-4, Yaoundé 13h, Berlin 14h, Johannesburg 14h, Istanbul 15h, Nairobi 15h)
• APAC : 21(22) octobre 2020 – 22h (UTC-4, New Delhi 7h30, Jakarta 9h, Pékin 10h, Tokyo 11h, Adélaïde 12h30)

Enregistrez-vous ici

Même si vous ne pouvez pas vous y joindre en direct, inscrivez-vous et nous vous enverrons un lien personnel vers l’émission enregistrée que vous pourrez regarder à votre convenance.
N’hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avez d’autres questions.

我们盛情邀约您参加我们即将举行的全球木材追踪网络（GTTN, Global Timber Tracking Network）研讨会，获知如何利用服务提供商目录和参考数据库。
服务提供商目录帮助需要木材鉴定服务的人找到合适的专业知识。
参考数据库允许对现有参考数据进行概述，并提供上载和共享实际数据集的选项。今天注册！

以下是您可以学到的：

• 如何在目录中输入您的联系信息
• 查询木材识别服务提供商
• 关于如何在数据库上上载示例数据或元数据的最佳实践
• 灵活选择与谁分享
• 以往经验的解决方案

节目：网络研讨会将在三个不同的时间举行，涵盖美洲（AMER）、欧洲、中东和非洲（EMEA）和亚太地区（APAC）。工作语言为英语。根据会议情况，将提供西班牙语、法语和中文同声传译。 

• AMER (美洲): 2020年10月14日 – 上午11:00（UTC-4、墨西哥城 – 上午10:00、利马 – 上午10:00、康涅狄格州 – 上午11:00、渥太华 – 上午11:00、里约热内卢 –  中午12:00）
• EMEA (欧洲、中东和非洲): 2020年10月19日 – 上午8:00（UTC-4，雅温得 – 下午1:00，柏林  – 下午2:00，约翰内斯堡 – 下午2:00，伊斯坦布尔 – 下午3:00，内罗毕 – 下午3:00）
• APAC (亚太地区)：2020年10月21日（22日）晚上10:00（UTC-4，新德里 – 上午7:30，雅加达 – 上午9:00，北京 – 上午10:00，东京 – 上午11:00，阿德莱德 – 中午12:30）

在此处注册

即使您不能参加现场直播，还可以注册。我们将向您发送录制的网络广播的个人链接，以便您在方便时观看。

如果您还有任何问题，请随时与我联系。

According to FAO, half the wood extracted from forest worldwide is used to produce energy and about 17 percent is converted to charcoal, which trade is not yet covered by the European Timber Regulation (EUTR).

Approximately 46% of the material received from all countries studied contained subtropical and tropical species, and over 60% in the case of Spain, Italy, Poland and Belgium. The study also shows that FSC and PEFC certificated products are less likely to present timber from subtropical or tropical origins.

The results contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between international charcoal trade flows, the end products in European countries and its implications for the EUTR.

The article is published here.

There is an important call to participate in the Global Xylaria Survey. This survey aims at updating the IAWA Index Xylariorum 4.1, which was released in 2016 and is one of the sources of information for the GTTN Service Provider Directory. Please contact Dr. Tuo He (tuohe@caf.ac.cn) from the Chinese Academy of Forestry for further questions.

This issue also features an article about a recent increase in the visits to InsideWood (NCSU) as the global pandemic has kept most of us away from the institutions where we normally work. These online resources can definitely help to continue our work.

The newsletter lists the new event dates for the IAWA Fossil Wood Symposium in Prague and the Third IUFRO Acacia Conference in Sarawak. Additionally, it summarises the outcomes of the recent Botanical Society of America Botany 2020, and the Sandalwood Workshop organised by University of Adelaide Advanced DNA, Identification and Forensic Facility (ADIFF).

The newsletter also mentions the articles published in advance for the Special Issue on wood identification of the IAWA Journal expected to be published by November 2020.

IAWA is an association dedicated to raise awareness of the place of wood anatomy in science, technology and in the conservation of environmental resources. Follow them on Twitter @IAWA_wood. Download the newsletter for more information here.

The growing interest in the topic has become relevant for economic and environmental reasons leading to the development of many innovative methods of identification, which include genetic and isotopic analysis, among others.

Frontiers is an open access publisher and an open science platform that gathers journals on many different research topics. The manuscripts can be submitted to this research topic via the following journals: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Crop Biology and Sustainability; Frontiers in Nutrition, Food Chemistry; and Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, Forest Ecophysiology.

The submission deadline for abstracts is August 20 and for manuscripts, December 22. Get more information and register your research on the following link.

The import of wood from illegal sources is prohibited in the United States and it represents an annual loss of $ 1 billion dollars to the country’s wood products industry. As stated by the interim dean of the College of Forestry, Anthony S. Davis: “The illegal timber trade is a direct attack on sustainable livelihoods and ecosystems in Oregon and other parts of the country, and also abroad.”

Another example of recent efforts taken to strengthen the measures to fight timber crime is the case of Eli Vlaisavljevich, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, who was granted a $1 million dollar fund from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to research on technology for fast extraction of DNA from timber and plant tissue.