There is currently a huge interest in verifying the source and legality of timber as several new legislations make it a criminal offence to mis-declare origin of timber or trade in restricted species (Lacey in US, EUTR in EU and new legislation in Australia from 30 November 2014). DNA methods are currently the robust method to verify timber origin claims made through certification processes.
The unique combination of a number of existing and new biochemical and molecular steps has been brought together to allow a DNA extraction procedure that works reliably with timber. The resulting DNA is suitable for genotyping and sequence analysis, and can be used for raw lumber through to finished timber products.
This is a new methodology that allows reliable analysis - even from old and degraded samples, which is currently a considerable barrier to genetic analysis of timber.