J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(9):469-482 | DOI: 10.17221/67/2026-JFS

EU Deforestation Regulation, timber theft and illegal logging in Czech judicial practiceOriginal Paper

Petra Hlaváčková ORCID..., Martin Cempírek ORCID...
Department of Forest and Wood Products Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

This study evaluates the potential of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to reduce timber theft and illegal logging through an analysis of Czech judicial practice. A qualitative content analysis of publicly available court decisions concerning illegal harvesting, timber theft and related forms of forest crime was conducted. The identified crime mechanisms were subsequently assessed against EUDR requirements concerning geolocation, due diligence, risk assessment and supply-chain traceability. The results show that illegal harvesting is a multi-stage process involving the selection of vulnerable forest properties, creation of apparent legality, timber harvesting, concealment of origin and subsequent commercialisation. Economic gain was not derived from the physical acquisition of timber itself but from its successful integration into formal market channels. The identified mechanisms closely resemble processes commonly described as timber laundering. The analysis suggests that EUDR may increase barriers to the legalisation and commercialisation of illegally obtained timber through geolocation requirements, enhanced documentation and due diligence obligations. However, the regulation does not directly address vulnerabilities enabling unauthorised harvesting itself, such as limited owner supervision and information asymmetries. The findings indicate that the principal contribution of EUDR lies in increasing supply-chain transparency and reducing opportunities for the economic utilisation of illegally obtained timber.

Keywords: commodity provenance; document fraud; environmental criminology; forest governance; ownership vulnerability; regulatory compliance

Received: August 24, 2026; Revised: September 21, 2026; Accepted: September 21, 2026; Prepublished online: September 24, 2026; Published: September 30, 2026  Show citation

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Hlaváčková P, Cempírek M. EU Deforestation Regulation, timber theft and illegal logging in Czech judicial practice. Journal of Forest Science. 2026;72(9):469-482. doi: 10.17221/67/2026-JFS.
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