copied verbatim from today's I (newspaper)-
Scientists at Kew Gardens are leading the campaign against the illegal logging industry by helping to create wood DNA tests.
The Royal Botanic Gardens,which has one of the largest collections of wood samples in the world, has teamed up with the Forest Stewardship Council and the US Forest Service for the project.
They are building a DNA database of trees that could help determine if wood being sold was taken from protected areas.
Interpol estimates that illegal logging is worth between £23billion and £76billion annually, with up to 30% of all internationally traded timber thought to be dubious.
Tests will determine the species using only a small piece of the wood - and also "geolocate" where it has come from.
Scientists at Kew Gardens are leading the campaign against the illegal logging industry by helping to create wood DNA tests.
The Royal Botanic Gardens,which has one of the largest collections of wood samples in the world, has teamed up with the Forest Stewardship Council and the US Forest Service for the project.
They are building a DNA database of trees that could help determine if wood being sold was taken from protected areas.
Interpol estimates that illegal logging is worth between £23billion and £76billion annually, with up to 30% of all internationally traded timber thought to be dubious.
Tests will determine the species using only a small piece of the wood - and also "geolocate" where it has come from.
