Wood Identification & Screening Center
As part of the global effort to combat illegal logging and associated trade, the Forest Service International Programs Wood Identification & Screening Center (WISC) provides wood identification services to the United States government. WISC began in 2017 as a partnership with the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Lab in Ashland, Oregon to support enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Lacey Act. WISC uses advanced technologies and methods to determine the species of wood samples, conducts trainings in wood identification, and supports research and development of emerging technologies that make identifying wood more efficient and accurate.

Wood from different species has a characteristic composition that produces a diagnostic spectrum, which can be thought of as a chemical “fingerprint.” These unique spectra can be used to classify unknown wood samples through comparison against a spectral database created by the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Lab. This database, known as the Forensic Spectra of Trees Database (ForeST©), is made up of tree species from around the world.
WISC uses Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOFMS) to confirm species claims of wood products. The technique requires only a sliver of wood for analysis with no further preparation. Advantages of DART-TOFMS is that it requires small sample sizes and produces results within a matter of seconds, allowing for rapid identification to confirm the validity of import and export declarations.

The Forest Service's Wood Identification and Screening Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, provides training and capacity building for international partners to enhance and develop their wood identification methods to better assist the needs of local law enforcement, as well as collect field samples to expand the ForeST© database.
Forest Service's WISC is currently working closely with partners in the following countries:
- Gabon: WISC is partnering with Gabon’s Ministry of Water and Forests, the Seas, the Environment to enforce the legal trade and export of valuable timber grown in Gabon.
- Peru: Along with partners from CITEmadera, WISC is working to increase wood identification capabilities in Peru. Sharing advanced methods and technology will increase Peru’s ability to enforce regulations surrounding the timber trade in Peru and in neighboring countries.
- Vietnam: WISC's activities in Vietnam aim to enhance the government of Vietnam's ability to identify the origin of wood quickly and accurately in their effort to combat illegal logging and illicit trade. WISC has identified the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS) as a partner institution, and the host for the DART-TOMFS
Upon delivery of a DART-TOF mass spectrometer to these countries, a WISC scientist will work closely with in-country scientists to provide training in instrumentation, wood identification methodologies, use of the ForeST© database, and how to report findings using chemical data.
The United States Lacey Act makes it unlawful to import, export, sell, or acquire wildlife - including timber products - that are acquired, transported, or sold in violation of federal, state, or foreign laws. In the case of timber products, the Lacey Act requires importers and exporters to declare both the species and origin of all traded wildlife.
CITES is an international agreement that works to restrict or halt trade on endangered species of flora and fauna. CITES-listed species are organized into three groups depending on status and level of threat:
- Species that are highly endangered and threatened with extinction; trade is strictly prohibited unless for scientific research.
- Species that could be threatened with extinction if trade is not regulated, trade is allowed if it can be proven that the trade is not detrimental to the species’ survival.
- At the request of a CITES-contracted party for assistance in regulating a species that could be over-exploited in the future.
For more information on the Forest Service's Wood Identification and Screening Center, and the center's effort to combat the illegal harvesting and illicit trade of wood, contact sm.fs.wisc@usda.gov.