The launch of SUMAL 3.0, an improved version of the electronic timber traceability system, is indeed absolutely necessary. Through periodic monitoring, both in the field and using the Forest Inspector app, WWF has already drawn attention towards the vulnerabilities of the existing system.
After analyzing the draft ordinance, we note three notable commitments in SUMAL 3.0:
- It solves the problem of “defrauding the timber origin declaration” by using the mobile application offline;
- It puts the basis for making the „digital fingerprint for transports” operational – this is the electronic seal of the cargo, the automated digital measurement and the expeditious verification of the quantities of transported timber;
- It makes the forest vegetation monitoring system operational, based on the using the satellite images and video surveillance of timber materials movement.
Once this digital solution is developed and implemented in SUMAL 3.0, it will practically eliminate the possibility of making multiple transports using the same documents and will eliminate fictitious transports and overloading, which means defrauding the declaration of transported quantities, the most common operation mode used for placing illegally harvested timber on the market.
We draw attention to the fact that, according to the National Strategy for Forests (SNP30), SUMAL 3.0 is only one component of the integrated information system for forests. However, it should also be able to perform other functions in order to support a sustainable development of the entire forestry sector. This is why we sent a letter to the Ministry of the Environment with a series of technical proposals regarding the functionalities that the SUMAL 3 architecture should be able to fulfill:
- Collecting and processing data and information regarding forest management, the Romanian timber market and evaluating the value added through the vertical timber processing value chains;
- Registering and keeping records of information regarding wood origin, traceability, circulation and sale of wood materials;
- Quick digital measurement of the volume assisted by Artificial Intelligence and the establishing an electronic seal of the transports to allow the identification/recognition of the uniqueness of the load in the case of raw wood assortments;
- Providing information for the development of due diligence systems for operators and merchants to implement the provisions of the European Union legislation in the field;
- Providing information for the competent authorities' own risk assessment and for controlling operations on risk- based assessments;
- Providing of public interest information regarding timber origin, traceability, circulation and commercialization of wood materials through the „Forest Inspector” platform;
- Digital control regarding the provenance, traceability, circulation and marketing of raw timber assortments, until they are first transformed into other wood material assortments.
We hope that the process to modernize the traceability system will be transparent and participatory and the new SUMAL 3.0 will to also meet the needs to adapt and comply with the new „Deforestation-free” European legal provisions.