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Spain Timber Legality Risk Assessment V1.2 2022 - 3 updated indicators are ready for stakeholder consultation. 
Consultation period: 20 June - 20 July 2022
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Timber Risk Score: 87 / 100 in 2017. The Timber Legality Risk Assessment contains an evaluation of the risk of illegality in Spain for five categories and 21 sub-categories of law. We found:

  • Specified risk for 3 sub-categories.
  • Low risk for 16 sub-categories.
  • No legal requirements for 2 sub-categories.

This page provides an overview of the legality risks related to timber produced in Spain. 

36% (18.4 million ha) of Spain is covered by forests of which:

  • About 84% is naturally-regenerated forest
  • About 16% is planted forest

Roundwood production totalled 16.7 million m3 in 2015. The forestry sector (including wood processing and pulp and paper) contributed US$ 9.6 billion to the economy in 2011, or nearly 0.7% of the GDP.

Risk is present in Spanish timber supply chains. The risks relate to legal rights to harvest and taxes and fees, and trade and transport. Companies sourcing timber from Spain should take care to ensure the risks identified are not present in their supply chains, or have been sufficiently mitigated.

View this page in Spanish

Corruption Perceptions Index

Score: 61/ 100 in 2021

Rank:  34 out of 180 countries in 2021

Armed conflict

There are currently no armed conflicts in Spain according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Global Conflict Tracker. 

 

Certification

FSC Certified Forest Area: 66,357 hectares (4 December 2019).

PEFC Certified Forest Area: 2,279,570 hectares (31 December 2019). 

Timber sources

  • Find out the different sources of legal timber
  • Determine which source type your timber comes from
Timber source Description of source type

Public forest

Timber from forest on state land, managed by forest administrations.

Private forest with an approved management plan

Timber from forest on private land, with an approved management plan. A Harvest Notification document should cover management plan activities, while other activities will need a Harvesting Permit.

Private forest without an approved management plan 

 Timber from forest on private land, without an approved management plan. Harvesting should be conducted with a Harvesting Permit containing all forest/harvest-related details, such as volume, species, harvesting activity, machinery, etc.

Risk assessment summary 

Legal rights to harvest

Legal rights to harvest
  • Risk that forest management plans are not in place

Taxes and fees

Taxes and fees
  • Risk that VAT is not paid on timber sales from private forest

Timber harvesting activities

timber harvest
  • No specified risk identified. See full risk assessment for details

Third parties' rights

Third party rights
  • No specified risk identified. See full risk assessment for details

Trade and transport

Trade and transport
  • Risk that entities that place timber on the EU market do not implement a due diligence system

 

Mitigate the risks in your supply chain

  • Learn which actions we recommended to mitigate the risks associated with the timber sources from Spain.

Source Certified Materials 

NEPCon believes that third party certification (for example FSC and PEFC certification) can provide strong assurances of the legality of the products they cover. Companies seeking to mitigate the risks of sourcing illegal timber should seek to purchase third party certified materials wherever possible. 

While the European Timber Regulation does not include an automatic “green lane” for certified products, it does recognise the value of certification as a tool for risk assessment and mitigation. The European Commission says that companies “may rate credibly certified products as having negligible risk of being illegal, i.e. suitable for placing on the market with no further risk mitigation measures, provided that the rest of the information gathered and the replies to the risk assessment questions do not contradict such a conclusion.”

For more information on using certified materials in your due diligence, including how to assess whether a certification system meets EUTR requirements, see the page on Certification and Due Diligence.

Mitigation recommendations

Below is a summary of recommended actions to mitigate the risks associated with timber sources from Spain.

1. Fully map your supply chain

2. Obtain and verify documents

  • Forest level documents
    • Forest management plan
  • Tax related documents
    • Invoices. Check that they include VAT
    • Receipts for payment of VAT
  • Transport and trade documents
    • Documented due diligence system

3. Consult with stakeholders

  • Consult the tax agency to confirm VAT payment
Profile Publication Date
2022-06-20