Vietnam exports nearly $8.48 billion of timber products to the United States per year, however, Vietnam’s Custom Authorities lack the capacity to ensure that only legally harvested timber is shipped to the United States in compliance with the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trade of wildlife and plants that have been illegally taken. On November 29, USAID funded a workshop on the timber trade in Vietnam, led by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and conducted jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to inform timber industry leaders and Vietnamese customs officials about U.S. regulations and requirements to comply with the Lacey Act, and new tools for detecting illegal timber.
This effort contributes to legitimizing Vietnam’s lucrative, legal timber trade while combating the sale and exportation of illegal timber.