What do Siberian Tigers and American forestry workers have in common?

What do Siberian Tigers and American forestry workers have in common?

Both are threatened by the illegal timber trade, which destroys forests and undercuts responsible forest industry – and the good jobs it provides – with cheap, black market timber from around the world. In areas like the Russian Far East high levels of corruption and weak governance fuel the plunder of biodiverse, old growth forests to remove high-value timber, such as oak, ask, elm and linden. Black market actors reap profits from illegal timber, harvested from forests communities depend on for livelihoods and home to endangered animals, like the Siberian tiger. Meanwhile, illegally-sourced wood is processed into products sold to U.S. consumers, threatening the jobs of millions of Americans working in the forest industry in the United States. Irresponsible and unsustainable trade in illegally sourced timber and wood products can be stopped if the government fully enforces and companies comply with the Lacey Act. One of the United States’ oldest conservation laws, the Lacey Act was amended in 2008 to prohibit the import and trade of illegal timber into the United States. Help save forests, communities, and wildlife by supporting the Lacey Act.

This video was created by Wake the Beast on behalf of the Environmental Investigation Agency, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers.

Domestically sourced, union made paper products were used throughout the video.