Capacity Building for Water and Forestry and Customs Officials in the Identification of Sawn Timber in Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville

As part of the Tropical Timber Trade Facility (TTT) project, the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT) organized two training seminars for officials from the Water and Forestry Department and the Customs Administration on techniques for identifying sawn timber. These sessions were held successively in Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville, bringing together a total of thirty officials responsible for the control and verification of forest products.

This initiative is part of the capacity-building activities of the TTT project, implemented by ATIBT with support from GIZ and funded by the German Federal Government. The project’s overall objective is to contribute to increased trade in tropical timber from legal and verified sources.

With the growth of local timber processing in the Republic of the Congo—particularly more advanced processing—trade flows now consist primarily of sawn timber, planed lumber, friezes, veneers, and other processed products. This development significantly complicates control operations, as the visible characteristics of trees or logs disappear after sawing.
Given this reality, the ability of officials to correctly identify wood species has become a strategic issue. Accurate species identification not only helps secure tax and customs revenues but also effectively combats fraud related to species substitution in exports.
The two sessions, each lasting three days, emphasized a highly practical approach. More than 70 percent of the training time was devoted to handling actual samples and conducting identification exercises on wood under conditions similar to those encountered in the field.
Under the guidance of wood identification specialists—including experts from the École Nationale des Eaux et Forêts du Cap Estérias (ENEF) in Gabon and a national forestry expert—participants were introduced to the basics of wood anatomy, the use of magnifying glasses, macroscopic analysis methods, and the use of reference booklets, identification keys, and the identification of reference samples.
The officials also strengthened their skills in recognizing the main tree species traded in the Congo Basin, including those that are frequently subject to confusion or attempts at fraud.
By equipping officials with technical skills in timber identification, ATIBT is helping to strengthen the fight against fraud, improve the traceability of forest products, and promote the legal timber trade in the Republic of the Congo.

This activity is part of the TTT project’s efforts to support the sustainable management of forest resources and build the capacity of government agencies involved in monitoring the timber sector.