Emmet,

I have gone back and tried to get a more recent update on the status, unfortunately, reliable info is difficult to obtain. It seems that from a political and public relations standpoint there has been an improvement in the forestry practices of this region, however, as Will indicated much of the trade continues illegal, undocumented and unchecked. Mitsubishi Corp. one of the largest Japanese timber importers seems to have embraced more stringent "corporate" policy in timber harvest/acquisition but this does little to remedy some of the wasteful practices and the insatiable appetite Japan has for timber products. Disposable chopsticks are one of the largest markets as is plywood for forming concrete. It seems in Japan plywood forms are used once and then disposed of rather than re-used as they are here in the states. There is some new info in the fact that China has now more than doubled it's import of lumber, sourced primarily from Indonesia. Long story short, the problem remains even though faces of those involved may be changing.