In a new Euractiv opinion piece, Intertribal Timber Council leaders Phil Rigdon and Cody Desautel warn that the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) is creating serious unintended consequences for timber-producing Tribes in the United States.
Rigdon and Desautel make clear that they support EUDR’s core goal of fighting global deforestation. Their concern is that the regulation’s one-size-fits-all requirements fail to account for supply chain realities in places where deforestation is not a risk.
Desautel, President of the Intertribal Timber Council and Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Rigdon, ITC Vice President and Department of Natural Resources Superintendent for the Yakama Nation, point out that the EU failed to meaningfully consult U.S. Tribes despite the regulation’s stated commitment to Indigenous rights.
They explain how EUDR requirements undermine Tribal sovereignty, require disclosure of sensitive geolocation data, and restrict Tribal timber producers’ access to markets, even though the EU itself has classified the United States as a country with a low risk of deforestation.