No abstract

The analysis of macroscopic wood anatomy is a critical tool for the inspection and identification of commercial wood. Studies have reported two main problems in timber commerce: wood misidentification and the trade of endangered species. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, there exists a lack of scientific research into wood identification and commerce. Therefore, in 2011, the Research Institute of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro and the Environmental State Institute signed an agreement of technical cooperation to record inventory of the wood involved in commerce in the above state based on wood identification. The present study aimed to identify, by macroscopic wood anatomy, wood samples collected by Environmental State Institute inspectors and to crosscheck the identified species to their assigned common names. In total, 277 samples were gathered from 52 different companies, of which we were able to identify 220 to genus and 57 to species. The identified wood samples represented 22 families and 43 genera, and included four endangered species. Sellers used the common name inappropriately in 18 % of the samples. Our study shows that there is currently a problem with the use of erroneous common names in the trade of endangered woods in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Endangered Brazilian tree species are traded on national and international scales. Efficient control of wood supply chains is fundamental to both species and environmental conservation. Wood anatomy offers an effective method for timber screening and diagnosis, although diagnostic tools and reliable reference materials are required to verify the precise timber species commercialized. We present here anatomical information that can be used for the identification of the wood of endangered Brazilian tree species, including coded wood anatomy descriptions following standardized lists of macroscopic and microscopic features, stereomicroscope and bright field microscope micrographs, and reference data (wood collections with reference samples and anatomical descriptions). Description datasets and interactive identification keys (macroscopic and microscopic) were made available on the Xper3 web platform (http://gbg.sites.uff.br/lamad/) and can aid trained front-line staff or professional wood anatomists in trade control and forensic timber identifications of endangered Brazilian species.

No abstract

The Atlantic Forest is considered a biodiversity hotspot because of its exceptional species richness, endemism, and habitat losses. Commercial logging, industrial forestry, and agriculture represent threats to the Atlantic Forest, and even though it has been protected by law since 2006, forest suppression continues and large volumes of Atlantic Forest wood are traded every year. To promote environmental conservation and prevent illegal logging, the verification of wood species’ identifications is fundamental throughout several stages of the wood supply chain by supervisory bodies, traders, and even consumers. Macroscopic wood anatomy analysis has been shown to be an efficient method for screening, although tools to streamline the efficiency of that process are necessary. We introduce here an interactive identification key for Atlantic Forest tree species, based on standard wood macroscopic features that is now available online at http://gbg.sites.uff.br/lamad/.