Brazilian scientists develop chemical fingerprinting of wood to combat illegal logging

The FAPESP study, carried out by a team from the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture of the University of Sao Paulo (CENA-USP), seeks to create a map of the distribution of stable isotopes present in Amazonian trees so that experts can compare this information with the wood seized in operations against illegal trade. Brazil set as a goal the cessation of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, within the framework of initiatives to develop the bioeconomy and forms of sustainable resource exploration. natural, compared to clandestine logging as one of the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon. According to the study, although Brazilian authorities already use the anatomical identification of wood, species distribution maps and the Document of Forest Origin (DOF), these mechanisms are not always sufficient to verify that a shipment comes from an authorized exploitation. The new methodology is based on the analysis of stable isotopes, natural variants of chemical elements such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and, in one stage later, strontium. The proportion of these elements changes from one region to another in the Amazon, forming a chemical fingerprint that allows identifying the geographical origin of the wood. The team collected samples from 800 trees in 63 localities in the Amazon and plans to expand the database to improve the precision of the system. The scientists are also studying combining isotopic analysis with concentration maps of chemical elements present in the wood with the aim of offering authorities a more effective tool to combat illegal logging and deforestation. We want to provide the Federal Police with an isotopic model so that they can verify if the origin of that wood really corresponds to that indicated in the Forest Origin Document, explained the study coordinator, Luiz Antonio Martinelli, professor at USP, cited by FAPESP.