Evaluating the potential of oxygen isoscapes for tropical timber tracing

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dc.contributor.authorVlam, Mart
dc.contributor.authorBoeschoten, Laura
dc.contributor.authorvan der Sleen, Peter
dc.contributor.authorAdzkia, Ulfa
dc.contributor.authorBoom, Arnoud
dc.contributor.authorBouka, Gaël U. D.
dc.contributor.authorCiliane-Madikou, Jannici C. U.
dc.contributor.authorKuzee, Tijs
dc.contributor.authorObiang, Nestor Laurier Engone
dc.contributor.authorGuieshon-Engongoro, Mesly
dc.contributor.authorLoumeto, Joël J.
dc.contributor.authorMbika, Dieu-merci M. F.
dc.contributor.authorMoundounga, Cynel G.
dc.contributor.authorNdangani, Rita M. D.
dc.contributor.authorBourobou, Dyana Ndiade
dc.contributor.authorParedes-Villanueva, Kathelyn
dc.contributor.authorRahman, Mohamad M.
dc.contributor.authorMeyer-Sand, Barbara Rocha Venâncio
dc.contributor.authorSiregar, Iskandar Z.
dc.contributor.authorTassiamba, Steve N.
dc.contributor.authorTchamba, Martin T.
dc.contributor.authorToumba-Paka, Bijoux B. L.
dc.contributor.authorZanguim, Herman T.
dc.contributor.authorZemtsa, Pascaline T.
dc.contributor.authorZuidema, Pieter A.
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-30T10:02:28Z
dc.date.available2025-05-30T10:02:28Z
dc.date.freetoread2025-05-30
dc.date.issued2025-08-15
dc.date.pubOnline2025-05-14
dc.description.abstractIndependent verification of timber origin is needed to enforce legislation aimed at combatting illegal tropical timber trade. A potential technique is tracing back the stable isotope signal preserved in wood samples, but the scarcity of reference data currently hampers its operationalization. This can be overcome by creating isoscapes. Here we develop continental isoscapes (at 0.5° resolution) for five tropical timbers based on wood δ18O ratios and assess their potential for timber tracing. We compiled a pantropical database of δ18O measurements from 712 trees in 20 countries. We tested effects of δ18O in rainfall, potential evapotranspiration (PET), temperature and precipitation on wood δ18O and used these to develop isoscapes based on quantile regression forests. A first indication of the tracing potential of these isoscapes was tested in leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) analyses. Across the five isoscapes, ranges in wood δ18O values (10th-90th percentile) averaged 3.9 ‰ and δ18O differences increased with distance. Yet local variability in wood δ18O was substantial compared to large-scale variability. The LOOCV analysis showed that the actual origin was included in the probable origin for 59–79 % of the cases. The area of probable origin was large, however, suggesting a low spatial precision of assignment. This study finds limited support for a potential to use wood oxygen isoscapes for tropical timber tracing within continents. Necessary future steps in timber isotope tracing include improving regional representation, conducting similar analyses for other isotopes, rigorous testing of species differences and conducting blind sample tests.
dc.description.journalNameForest Ecology and Management
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by the European Research Council (grants ERC-StG-242955 and ERC-PoC-665275) and the Dutch Research Council (I-STW-Take-off-14071 and NWO-TTW-OTP-16427).
dc.identifier.citationVlam M, Boeschoten L, van der Sleen P, et al., (2025) Evaluating the potential of oxygen isoscapes for tropical timber tracing. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 590, August 2025, Article number 122757
dc.identifier.eissn1872-7042
dc.identifier.elementsID673299
dc.identifier.issn0378-1127
dc.identifier.paperNo122757
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122757
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/23944
dc.identifier.volumeNo590
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.publisher.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725002658?via%3Dihub
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectGeographic origin
dc.subjectIsoscape
dc.subjectStable isotope
dc.subjectTimber forensics
dc.subjectTropical timber
dc.subject31 Biological Sciences
dc.subject3103 Ecology
dc.subjectForestry
dc.subject4102 Ecological applications
dc.titleEvaluating the potential of oxygen isoscapes for tropical timber tracing
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.subtypeJournal Article
dcterms.dateAccepted2025-04-22

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