The US is set to use a provision in its trade accord with Peru to bar entry to imported timber from Inversiones La Oroza, a Peruvian exporter, according to an announcement from the Office of the US Trade Representative last week. In taking the “unprecedented” step, the US agency touted it as an effort to tackle illegal logging head-on, citing the results of a previous examination by Peruvian officials and independent authorities. That probe aimed to verify whether this specific company had been in violation of the South American country’s rules on harvesting and trading timber. “Illegal logging destroys the environment and undermines US timber companies and American workers who are following the rules. We will continue to closely monitor Peru’s compliance with its obligations under our trade agreement,” said US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in making the announcement . The statement confirmed that this measure would be in place for at least three years, though this could be shortened if the “Interagency Committee on Trade in Timber Products from Peru” – a panel chaired by a USTR official and featuring participants from various other US agencies – deems that the exporter in question has taken the necessary steps to...