Koch, Richter

IAWA Journal, & Schmitt

Vol. 32 (2),—
2011: 213–220
CITESwoodID 213

Design and application of CITESwoodID

Computer-aided identification and description of
CITES-protected timbers*

Gerald Koch, Hans-Georg Richter and Uwe Schmitt

Institute of Wood Technology and Wood Biology, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas,
Forestry and Fisheries (vTI), Leuschnerstr. 91, D-21031 Hamburg, Germany
[E-mail: gerald.koch@vti.bund.de]

Summary

Wood identification is of prime importance in enforcing CITES poli-

cies regarding protected species. A tool to facilitate wood identification
based on macroscopic features, CITESwoodID, is available, developed
in the DELTA-INTKEY-System. This database contains descriptions
and an interactive identification system for 12 CITES-listed timbers (11
hardwoods, 1 softwood) known for their potential in the manufacture of
lumber and downstream processing into products, and 44 trade timbers
which can be easily mistaken for CITES-listed timbers due to a similar
appearance and/or wood anatomical pattern. The database is primarily
designed for institutions and persons involved in regulating import and
export of wood and wood products controlled by CITES regulations. It
is also used in primary and secondary educational facilities active in
teaching wood anatomy and wood identification, and has been the basis
of a number of training modules and short courses for government in-
spectors and students.
Key words: CITESwoodID, database, macroscopic wood identifica-
tion.

Introduction

The computer-aided wood identification program CITESwoodID (Fig. 1) was developed

at the Institute of Wood Technology and Wood Biology, Federal Research Institute for
Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries (vTI) Hamburg, in response to a proposal by the
German CITES Scientific Authority (BfN), and is at present available in four languages:
English, German, French, and Spanish. CITESwoodID enables the user to identify trade
timbers controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Spe-
cies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by means of macroscopic characters. Macroscopic
characters are all those which can be observed or perceived with the unaided eye and
a handlens of approximately 10-fold magnification.
Wood identification often begins with macroscopic characters which are particularly
suitable for making a basic identification and narrowing down the possible taxa to which
*Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Walter Liese on the occasion of his 85th birthday
(January 31, 2011).

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214 IAWA Journal, Vol. 32 (2), 2011

Figure 1. Cover image of the database CITESwoodID.

a specimen belongs, especially in non-laboratory situations, (e.g. Wiedenhoeft & Miller

2005; Koch et al. 2008b; Garrett et al. 2010). Final or definitive identification is typi-
cally left to microscopic scrutiny as it offers a range of additional structural features
for species recognition (e.g. Wheeler et al. 1989; Wheeler & Baas 1998), especially for
CITES enforcement (Gasson 2011; Gasson et al. 2011). However, most practitioners
do not usually possess the sophisticated infrastructure, i.e., laboratory equipment and
reference collections, required for microscopic identification. Hence, macroscopically
visible features are the only means to provisionally satisfy quality control requirements
and verify whether a given timber is correctly named.

Objectives of the database

CITESwoodID is intended to serve as a visual (illustrations) and textual (descriptions)

identification tool for institutions and persons involved in controlling import and export
of wood and wood products listed by CITES (Schmitz-Kretschmer et al. 2006; Koch
et al. 2008a). It also can be employed in primary and secondary educational facilities
active in teaching wood anatomy and wood identification.
The current version of the software contains a) the 12 CITES-protected timbers (11
hardwoods, 1 softwood) known for their high potential in the manufacture of lumber
and downstream processing into products (Table 1), and b) 44 trade timbers which can
be easily mistaken for CITES-protected timbers due to a similar appearance and/or wood
anatomical pattern and their high economic relevance in international trade. Moreover,
many are known to have been traded as substitutes for timbers now protected under
CITES regulations which, in turn, may spawn illegal trade of CITES-protected timbers

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Koch, Richter & Schmitt — CITESwoodID 215

Table 1. List of cites protected trade timbers in the database cites woodID.
Botanical name Trade name cites Trading* Quantity
Appendix [m 3 /a]*
Bulinesia sarmientoi Palo santo II NI NI
Caesalpinia echinata Brazil wood II NI NI
Cedrela odorata Cedro III Bolivia, Peru R USA 45,000
Dalbergia nigra Brazilian I no trade permitted NI
rosewood
Dalbergia retusa Cocobolo III NI NI
Dalbergia Honduras III NI NI
stevensonii rosewood
Fitzroya cupressoides Patagonian I no trade permitted NI
cypress
Gonystylus spp. Ramin II Malaysia R Italy, China 70,000
Guaiacum spp. Lignum vitae II Mexico R Germany 100 tons
Pericopsis elata Afrormosia II Congo, Cameroon R Italy,
Belgium 15,000
Platymiscium Granadillo II NI NI
pleiostachyum
Swietenia spp. American II Bolivia, Peru R USA NI
mahogany
Intsia spp. Merbau under cites Indonesia, Papua New Guinea
observation R Germany, Netherlands 660,000

* Data available from the German CITES Scientific Authority, 2006. NI = no information.

under the name of any of their non-protected substitutes. CITES-protected plants/trees

utilized for non-wood products are not included. According to an agreement with the
German CITES Scientific Authority (BfN) it is intended to add further CITES-protected
timbers within the next years (next planned update in 2012).

Using CITESwoodID for wood identification

Macroscopic wood identification is based on observations in the following planes:
– Transverse (perpendicular to the stem axis),
– Radial (parallel to the stem axis), and
– Tangential (parallel to the stem axis),
Observations made in these different planes add up to a three-dimensional picture of
the gross wood structure. However, a fresh end grain cut is an absolute necessity as
only a clean surface will reveal sufficient details of wood structure (comp. CITES Iden-
tification Guide – Tropical Woods 2002). Observed differences in structure between
the various timbers can be described, attributed to certain characters, and used for
wood identification with the help of reference material for comparison (Richter &
Trockenbrodt 1995). For macroscopic and microscopic wood identification, the trans-
verse plane usually offers the most useful diagnostic information about type, distribution,
and arrangement of the axially orientated wood tissues, including the important growth

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216 IAWA Journal, Vol. 32 (2), 2011

Figure 2. Database CITESwoodID – image of the desktop.

ring characteristics. Even a small transverse area may still reveal more information
about the wood structure (composition) than large longitudinal (radial and/or tangen-
tial) surfaces. However, there are limits as to how small a transverse area may be in
order to still reveal useful structural details. In the case of thin (generally around 0.5
mm thick) veneers, for instance, typical structural patterns cannot be fully recognized
in the transverse plane and need to be reconstructed from the corresponding patterns
on longitudinal surfaces.
When initiating the identification process using CITESwoodID, the user has several
options to follow. The program starts in the normal working mode, i.e., the available
features are listed in a sequence of “best characters” wherein the character on top of
the list is best suited for separating the (remaining) taxa in the database (Fig. 2). For
inexperienced users the software encourages looking for these targeted characters first.
If a more experienced user is sure of the detection of a certain character it can im-
mediately be chosen. The search function in the toolbar facilitates locating the desired
character. A further option is using the natural order of the characters as represented in
the original character list.
Each character is accompanied by notes with information on definitions, explanations
as to how observations can be correctly interpreted, procedures concerning specimen
preparation for certain purposes, examples of timbers with a very typical expression
of the character in question, cautionary notes on how to guard against misinterpreta-
tion, and information on specific wood characters not covered by the character list, etc.

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Koch, Richter & Schmitt — CITESwoodID 217

Figure 2. Database CITESwoodID – image of the desktop.

Figure 3. Description of specific wood characters such as “occurrence of axial parenchyma” in

the database CITESwoodID.

(Fig. 3). In addition, characters and the timbers in the database are accompanied by
high-quality colour images illustrating important macroscopic features on both trans-
verse and longitudinal surfaces (Fig. 4 and 5). The photomacrographs of transverse
sections were taken at a magnification commensurate with that of a handlens (c. 10-
fold). Illustrations of wood surfaces are reproduced at magnifications that parallel what
is seen with a hand lens. These illustrations provide an excellent means of visualizing
certain character expressions and directly compare the results of an identification run
and the unknown object to be identified (Richter et al. 2008). Furthermore, nearly all
characters used for description and identification are accompanied by explanatory notes
with definitions, examples, procedures, etc.
CITESwoodID also offers complete program-generated wood descriptions. These
encompass all relevant information contained in coded form in the database, converted
into a natural language text and saved in a single file. The individual wood description
can be used interactively for consultation and/or printing at any point of an identification
run (Richter & Trockenbrodt 1995). Independent of the program, the system provides
access to several files in the directory EN\RTF such as: descr.rtf (document contain-
ing the descriptions of all taxa); chars-lg.rtf (character list with explanatory notes);
chars-sh.rtf (character list without explanatory notes); names.rtf (list of the botanical
and trade names of the timbers in the database).

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218 IAWA Journal, Vol. 32 (2), 2011

Figure 4. American mahogany = Swietenia spp. (CITES Annex II, left) is very similar to khaya =
Khaya spp. (right) in external appearance. The two timber groups differ significantly by the lack
of macroscopically visible axial parenchyma in Khaya spp.

Figure 5. Ramin = Gonystylus spp. (CITES Annex II, left) and limba = Terminalia superba (right)
are similar in appearance and structure. However, limba has much larger and fewer vessels often
filled with tyloses. Furthermore, the wood of limba is darker with a greenish hue.

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Koch, Richter & Schmitt — CITESwoodID 219

It is important to emphasize to the user that the possibilities of macroscopic wood

identification are much more limited than those of a microscopic study. Firstly, the
number of characters available for observation is considerably smaller. Secondly, in
macroscopic identification one has to rely quite often on characters subject to a high
variability due to different growth conditions of the tree (viz. formation of growth rings)
or exposure to oxygen and UV radiation (viz. wood colour). This may lead to subjective
judgement on behalf of the user, and errors that might result in wrong decisions. In fact,
in cases of closely related trade timbers, the use of macroscopic characters will end with
a choice of several likely matches whose safe separation must be left to microscopic
study performed by any of the scientific institutions with the necessary equipment and
experienced staff (comp. Miller & Wiemann 2006; Gasson et al. 2010), for instance
CIRAD-Forêt (http://www.cirad.fr), Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, USDA
(http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us), Institute of Wood Technology and Wood Biology, Hamburg,
Germany (http://www.vti.bund.de), Nationaal Herbarium Nederland (http://www.nhn.
leidenuniv.nl), Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (http://www.metafro.be), Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew (http://www.kew.org), just to name a few.

Dissemination strategies and evolution of CITESwoodID as a tool

CITESwoodID was first presented and demonstrated in December 2005 within a na-
tional workshop in response to the German Agency of Nature Protection (BfN). During
the past five years eight national (Environmental Agencies of the German states) and
four international workshops and training courses were held. The next international
workshop and training course (European participants) is scheduled to be held at the
vTI Hamburg, Germany in May 2011. To date, more than 350 institutional persons and
approximately 250 students (University of Hamburg) were instructed in the use of
CITESwoodID. Furthermore, two individual training courses of German customs of-
ficers were conducted in order to prove the suitability for practical uses. CITESwoodID
was also officially introduced during the last two international CITES-meetings in
Den Haag/Netherlands (2007) and Doha/Qatar (2010).
The current version of CITESwoodID includes 12 CITES-listed timbers which are
known for their high potential in the manufacture of lumber and a continuous request
in international trade. The next planned update in 2012 (expected to be budgeted by
the German CITES Scientific Authority) aims at including the CITES-listed species
Pterocarpus santalinus (Appendix II), Aniba rosaeodora (Appendix II), and Dipteryx
panamensis (Appendix III); species with an expected or possible importance in inter-
national trade. However, no record of any sizable trade in logs, sawn wood, veneers is
currently known for the CITES-species Abies guatemalensis, Caryocar costaricense,
Podocarpus neriifolius, Oreomunnea pterocarpa, Magnolia liliifera, Pilgerodendron
uviferum, Taxus wallichiana, Gyrinops spp., Tetracentron sinense, and Welwitschia
mirabilis. Protected species which are utilised as non-wood products (e.g. bark of
Prunus africanum for medical purposes or traumatic tissue of Aquilaria spp. for incense)
have not been included due to the fact that the materials traded offer no macroscopic
wood characters for identification. All these species are, however, illustrated in the
wood anatomical atlas by Gasson et al. (2011) in this issue.

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220 IAWA Journal, Vol. 32 (2), 2011

Software review and availability

CITESwoodID was comprehensively reviewed in the IAWA Journal and was de-
scribed as an “excellent and inspirational tool” for anyone interested in wood identifica-
tion of CITES-protected timbers (Baas 2009). Approximately 400 copies of the data-
base have been distributed on CD-ROM up to this date. Further copies are available
at the Institute of Wood Technology and Wood Biology, Federal Research Institute
for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries (vTI), Hamburg and can be ordered (nominal
charge of € 20 plus mailing expenses) by e-mail: gerald.koch@vti.bund.de.

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