Malaysia
In 2005 DLH initiated cooperation with the consultant company, Global Forestry Services (GFS) and the auditing company SmartWood. The objective of this cooperation was to develop a system for verification of basic legality called VLO. The VLO verification was first implemented in the Malaysian province of Sabah, where we source the majority of our Malaysian timber. As we were the first in Malaysia to carry out VLO we had to develop the system as we progressed. After a year of training by GFS and auditing by SmartWood, the first of our suppliers were able to meet the VLO criteria and sell their wood as VLO verified. With the knowledge generated from the first suppliers we invited more suppliers to join and today we are enrolling more and more suppliers into the VLO program. It is our hope that our suppliers will not stop at VLO but that we can convince them, and the forest owners in Sabah, to continue towards FSC. Unfortunately our suppliers are, in most cases dependant upon sub-suppliers for their raw materials and the decision to apply for FSC certification is the responsibility of forest owner and not our supplier. The VLO projects have however given us a good starting point for putting legality and responsible forestry on the agenda in Sabah and to participate in pushing for responsible forest management in the region.
Indonesia
In Indonesia we are using the experience gained to start VLO projects with our suppliers. However, as the supply chain in Indonesia is more complicated than in Malaysia, our progress is slower. In Indonesia we are also part of the Timber Trade Action Plan project which is an EU financed project managed by Tropical Forest Trust and the Timber Trade Federation in Holland, Belgium and UK. The project aims to establish credible supply chains in order to document legality on which you can then obtain VLO verification.
We are also able to supply significant volumes of FSC certified timber from Indonesia and currently we are today probably the biggest exporter of FSC certified mouldings out of Indonesia.
Brazil
DLH develops and demonstrates sustainable forestry in its own forest in Brazil. The forest covers 3,000 hectares and was declared a natural reserve in the year 2000. Besides sustainable management of the natural forest, more than 200,000 trees have been planted on degraded land.
The information gathered is made available to the Brazilian suppliers of DLH. For a number of years, research projects have been carried out in collaboration with Oxford University and Brazilian research institutions.
Among other things, the ability of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) to regenerate naturally has been examined, and the first findings were available in April 2001. Within the project a co-operation exists with the local NGO, FZM (Fundacao Zoobotanico de Maraba), which works for the preservation of wild life in the forest.
DLH is also a shareholder in the teak-plantation Caceres Florestal in the State of Mato Grosso in Brazil, close to the border of Bolivia. The plantation, which covers 1.400 hectares, is the first large teak-plantation to be established in Brazil and it has in many ways become a frontrunner for new plantations in Brazil.The plantation is a successful example of the production of teak outside of the natural growth areas in the Far East.
Caceres Florestal achieved FSC certification in 2007.
RUSSIA
Until 2007 DLH participated actively in a project together with The Danish Forest and Nature Agency, WWF Denmark, the Danish Timber Trade Federation and two additional Danish wood-importers. The aim of the project was primarily to test methods of independent verification of legal origin (VLO), which can be seen as a first step towards certification. WWF led the practical implementation of the project. The project finished in 2007 and we now look forward to the beneficial results of this project.