Lumber import fraud in Shanghai during October soars to US$1.6M value; authorities plan to improve testing

Audrey Dixon

LOS ANGELES , November 15, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – A U.S. shipment of green sawn timber to Shanghai made up one of eight lumber import trade frauds during October, according to the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, English.eastday.com reported Nov. 15.

Lumber fraud shipments rose sharply last month to total more than US$1.6 million in value, the bureau said, adding it intends to improve testing of lumber imports.

The softwood planks imported from the U.S. had not been heat-treated, according to the Quarantine Bureau, and after arrival in China, they developed mildew.

In another fraud case, a shipment was expected to be Dalbergia louvelii, a type of valuable rosewood found only in Madagascar. Instead, the shipment consisted of pine, said officials.

English.eastday.com reported that lumber fraud is mainly about quality, quantity and scale of imported wood from countries such as Thailand and the U.S. Producers are warned to monitor shipment quality and spell out compensation in contracts.

The primary source of this article is English.eastday.com, Shanghai, China, on Nov. 15, 2011.

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