Washington, D.C.-based non-profit group Environmental Investigation Agency has released a report detailing evidence that Lumber Liquidators Inc. (Toano, Va.) knowingly imported wood flooring sourced from Russia’s last remaining Siberian tiger habitat, a violation of the 2008 Lacey Act amendments.
The report, "Liquidating the Forests: Hardwood Flooring, Organized Crime and the World's Last Siberian Tigers," resulted from a three-year-long investigation and says Chinese manufacturers are colluding with illegal loggers in Russia to launder oak and ash trees harvested outside legal concessions in Russia. Early in undercover visits and conversations, the president of Suidenhe Xingjia Economic and Trade Company described his company's numerous instances of illegal logging, extensive knowledge of illegal operations throughout the Russian forest sector and bribing of local officials. EIA also found through analysis of U.S. import records that Lumber Liquidators is one of Xingjia's largest customers.
The EIA also released a 10-minute video with footage from the investigation. The video, above, shows footage of undercover members of EIA interviewing Chinese wood flooring manufacturers who launder illegal wood from Russia's Far East forests. The company officials walk them past pallets of Lumber Liquidators' proprietary Virginia Mill Works brand flooring. The men interviewed say Lumber Liquidators' upper management toured the facilities and knew where the wood was coming from and that it was cut illegally.
On Sept. 26, Lumber Liquidators was searched by agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The warrants were sealed, and the company has not yet been charged. A source found the documents from Homeland Security which indicated the federal agents were looking for evidence the company knowingly imported illegal wood from endangered tiger habitat.
The full report from the EIA is available here. Lumber Liquidators could not be reached for comment as of the time of this article being posted.
Lumber Liquidators sent the following statement in response on Oct. 10:
"We are reviewing the report and, while we cannot yet comment specifically on its contents, we believe there are numerous inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims. Lumber Liquidators is committed to uncompromising integrity in how the Company operates, across all areas of the business. The Company has policies and procedures in place for the sourcing, harvesting and manufacturing of all of its products, monitored by professionals located around the world. Quality and sustainability are key components of Lumber Liquidators' value proposition and the Company invests significant time and resources to safeguard quality control and compliance. Lumber Liquidators seeks to ensure that the Company conducts business ethically and acts in all arenas as a superior corporate citizen. We support the protection of the environment and responsible forest management, and if we find that any of the Company's suppliers are not adhering to our standards, we will discontinue sourcing from those suppliers."
Edit: Statement from Lumber Liquidators added at 2:15 p.m. 10/10/13
