CITES Protected Hardwoods
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is an international treaty that protects endangered plants and animals. Since its adoption in 1975, over 35,000 species of plants and animals have been added to the CITES list into varying degrees of protection. Hardwoods are added to the CITES list when they are in danger of extinction or when a country has asked that the wood be added to help control illegal logging and export. Designation as a CITES species means the product may only be traded in sustainable volumes or in some cases, not at all. There are three different levels of CITES protection, known as appendices. Species appearing in Appendix I are the most restricted in international trade.
Some examples of hardwoods regulated by CITES are Cocobolo, Verawood, and Spanish Cedar. The most recent additions to the CITES list are Bubinga and more than 300 species of Dalbergia rosewoods. The Dalbergia addition was spurred on by China’s appetite for Hongmu furniture - heavy, ornately carved rosewood furniture. Much of the supply comes from SE Asia, and Thailand successfully appealed for stricter rules on exports of Dalbergia hardwoods. The change will come into effect in January 2017.
If you’ve ever visited our warehouses, you’ve seen our massive inventory of hardwoods. We have lots of wood purchased over decades. Many CITES list woods we have were purchased before those species were added to the list. For this reason, we are unable to provide the necessary documentation to ship CITES protected woods outside of the United States on less than full container load orders.
For more information on CITES and transporting products made from CITES protected species into and out of the U.S., visit these sites from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: