The New Brunswick Forest Products Commission is working with the Department of Justice and Public Safety to investigate the “misuse” of shipping documents used for transporting logs into the U.S., according to a report on CBC News.
The case apparently involves the use of transportation certificates mandated by the provincial government to track the movement of logs and to protect landowners from wood theft.
Boards closest to the border have discovered numerous instances where the documents were returned with sections missing or property identification numbers, or PIDs, that were incorrect.
“Any wood that’s transported without a [properly completed] TC is considered illegally transported wood,” said Shawn McGrath, general manager of the York-Sunbury-Charlotte marketing board.
It’s not yet known how much wood is involved in the alleged misuse of the documents, he said, but the theft of trees from woodlots is “a big issue.”