Govt mulls using RFID chips to address timber theft

Monday August 13, 2007

MACHANG: The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is studying the possibility of using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips on trees to address timber theft.

Its Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said that using the RFID system would enable authorities to detect stolen timber.

He said the chips, with data on the species and location of the trees, would be inserted into the trees.

"When the timber is stolen, a radio wave will give away the stolen timber when it passes through a checkpoint. This will enable authorities to identify the culprits and the location where the timber was felled," he said.

Sazmi said he would bring up the proposal to use the chips to the Cabinet soon.

"We feel it is the best and the most effective way to address the problem of timber theft, which is becoming serious," he said.

He said that theft of timber was a serious problem in states like Kedah, Perak, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan, adding that the culprits were mainly logging companies which were awarded timber concessions.

"These companies cut trees outside the concession areas awarded to them," he said. – Bernama