A Brief for U.S. Companies Purchasing Forest Products from the Amazon

Forests in the Amazon are increasingly threatened by illegal and unsustainable logging. Each year the Amazon’s forests are reduced by as much as 27,000 km2—roughly the size of Massachusetts. As the world’s top importer of forest products, the United States contributes significantly to this deforestation and forest degradation through increased market demand for high value commercial species, including mahogany and Spanish cedar.