News

Keep up to date with the latest developments

Private owners do not need permission to harvest

The independent risk assessments of hardwood-producing states, conducted under the AHA jurisdictional risk assessment framework, provide important insight into forest governance in the United States.

Jurisdictional risk assessments show extremely low levels of timber theft

The independently produced AHA jurisdictional risk assessments of 37 hardwood-producing states provide significant insight into forest governance in American hardwood production.

AHA looks to develop plant chemistry tests to verify future provenance claims

AHA plans to establish a Proof of Provenance (PoP) procedure for hardwood mills, distributors, exporters, and manufacturers to ensure that legal and deforestation-free claims apply only to assured U.S. hardwood. The development and routine use of complementary plant chemistry–based techniques will strengthen the rigour, transparency, and credibility of the AHA system by enabling both internal surveillance and external validation.

Certified Insight #3: How the AHA System Meets Today’s Assurance Needs for U.S. Hardwoods

Global regulatory and market expectations have changed and certification alone, while essential, cannot meet all emerging demands. Nowhere is this more relevant than in the U.S.hardwood sector.

Emerging clarity around EUDR

After weeks of speculation and conflicting news around another possible delay to the date of application of the EU Deforestation Regulation, a clearer picture has emerged now that the European Parliament and Council have agreed on the text of the amendment legislation.

Answering common questions around EUDR guidelines and documentation

The EUDR has raised a critical question for U.S. hardwood exporters: can a statewide risk assessment be used in place of documents for each specific harvest site to confirm negligible illegality risk? Read on for clarification on legality.

Jurisdictional risk assessments reveal high overall levels of legal compliance

The risk assessments of hardwood producing states produced independently using the AHA framework for jurisdictional risk assessment of legal compliance collectively have brought great insight onto the forest governance associated with American hardwood production.

Certified Insight #2: Certification, new pressures and the need for complementary assurance systems

Over the past three decades, forest certification has played a fundamental role in shaping what we collectively understand as sustainable forest management. However global market expectations, regulatory pressures and technological capabilities have changed profoundly since the 1990s. - Ben Gunneberg, Independent Sustainability Advisor to AHA

Proposed EUDR delay should not deter early adoption of AHA Platform

On 23 September 2025, European Commissioner for the Environment, Jessika Roswall, announced that the European Commission is considering a one-year delay to the entry into application of the EUDR, currently scheduled for 30 December 2025. So far, only an informal letter of intent has been sent by the Commission to the EU co-legislators comprising the European Council and Parliament.

Don't get caught out with mapping confusion!

GeoJSON coordinates are ordered as [longitude, latitude] - the format that EUDR requires but the reverse of many other tools.

Certified insight #1: Certification’s lost audience and new hope from risk-based approaches

George White explores why the supply and demand for certified forest areas is off-balance, how the private sector overtook governments in creating certification standards and how we can give recognition to the forests that don’t fit in to the certification box.

AHA to integrate with EUDR Information System

The European Commission delivered on its platform for companies to provide EUDR data by launching the online “Information System” in January 2025. A key objective of American Hardwood Assured (AHA) is to allow U.S. hardwood exporters to quickly and efficiently provide their EU customers with the data they need to enter onto the EU system.

Comprehensive independent assessment confirms negligible illegality risk in U.S. hardwood sector

Probably the most comprehensive series of assessments of the risk of illegal harvesting ever undertaken anywhere in the world has just been completed by American Hardwood Assured (AHA).

Should regulators demand assurance of good forestry practice at a plot or jurisdictional level?

American Hardwood Assured (AHA) is developing an approach to good forestry assurance which can help resolve one of the key debates over the most effective concept: should assessment be at a plot or jurisdictional level?

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