Chemical timber tracing: combining tree-genera information lowers reference data needs and makes harvest location identification more accurate

Research paper

Key message 

Chemistry-based tracing techniques are increasingly used for combating illegal timber trade, but they are currently limited by the small and fragmented reference datasets available. We introduce a model that integrates data from multiple tree genera while accounting for statistical differences between them. Our model accurately predicts the harvest location even when relevant data are unavailable in some areas, by leveraging data from other genera. Our approach could lower reference sampling costs and enable tracing in situations where new samples cannot be collected, such as during armed conflict.

Keywords
Timber traceability; Stable isotopes; Trace elements; Gaussian process; Multitask learning

Publication
Truszkowski, J., Boeschoten, L., Mortier, T. et al. Chemical timber tracing: combining tree-genera information lowers reference data needs and makes harvest location identification more accurate. Annals of Forest Science 83, 18 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-026-01341-x

Data availability
The datasets analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Source code can be accessed upon request at https://zenodo.org/records/16423363.

Handling editor
John Lhotka