Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Illegal logging is one of the most prevalent environmental infractions in the Amazon, led by organized networks that cause substantial ecological and economic impacts. Official control mechanisms, such as Brazil’s Forest Origin Document (DOF), remain vulnerable to the fraudulent manipulation of virtual timber credits and inconsistencies in digital traceability. These deficiencies highlight the need for independent, scientifically based methodologies for timber traceability that can support law enforcement and ensure reliable provenance verification. Here, we tested whether the isotopic composition of carbon ( δ 13 C) and nitrogen ( δ 15 N) in wood can trace Amazonian timber origin. We developed basin-wide δ 13 C and δ 15 N isoscapes using machine-learning models to predict spatial variability. A total of 571 trees from 47 sites were analyzed for both isotopes. Tree disks or wedges were sampled from the basal trunk, sectioned transversely, and sub-sampled from heartwood to near the sapwood boundary to obtain whole-tree isotopic composition. The δ 13 C and, more strongly, the δ 15 N values exhibited substantial within-site heterogeneity, indicating individual-level physiological controls, interspecific differences, and/or small-scale environmental variation influencing isotope fractionation. Despite these sources of noise, isotopic values showed independent and predictable spatial patterns across the basin ( R 2 =0.67 for δ 15 N and R 2 =0.60 for δ 13 C). Nitrogen isotopes were primarily controlled by edaphic factors, while carbon isotopes revealed a broad longitudinal gradient linked to climate. Together, these isotopic markers provide complementary information for basin-scale timber provenancing and form a robust, high-resolution framework for Amazon-wide traceability.
Source: Biogeosciences
Authors: Isabela M. Souza-Silva, Luiz A. Martinelli, Brent Holmes, Ana C. G. Batista, Maria G. S. Araújo, Anna L. Garção, Stéphane Ponton, Peter Groenendijk, Giuliano M. Locosselli, Daigard R. Ortega-Rodriguez, Deoclecio J. Amorim, Fábio J. V. Costa, Gabriela B. Nardoto, Alexandre T. Brunello, Vladimir Eliodoro Costa, Gabriel Assis-Pereira, Mario Tomazello-Filho, Niro Higuchi, Ana C. Barbosa, João Paulo Sena-Souza, Clément P. Bataille
Institutions: Universidade de São Paulo, University of Ottawa, AgroParisTech, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Silva, Université de Lorraine, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Federal Police of Brazil, Universidade de Brasília, Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Purdue University West Lafayette
Language: English
Topic: Isotope Analysis in Ecology
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,628
Funders: Purdue University, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, College of Agriculture, Purdue University
OpenAlex ID: W7127052556