His firm, an Australian timber importer, used to rely on masses of paperwork when buying merbau, a pricey hardwood from Indonesia.

ECONOMIST: Genetic testing of wood can curb illegal logging

EIA, together process one merbau log every minute of every working day.

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Now, thanks to DoubleHelix, Simmonds can show that a piece of merbau decking assembled in Australia comes from a specific (and legit) stump in Indonesia.

ECONOMIST: Genetic testing of wood can curb illegal logging