Feature Ecosystems

Can forensics help keep endangered rosewood off the black market?

Learning the origin of a log headed to a furniture factory would be a first step against deforestation

Artisans carving rosewood

Artisans carve rosewood at a furniture factory in China’s Jiangsu province in March 2019. Scientists are using forensics to keep endangered rosewood species out of the factories.

Ji Chunpeng/Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo

By Edward Carver and Sandy Ong

- More than 2 years ago

Jian Zhong Wang’s home in the southern Chinese city of Nanning is an inviting place. Light spills in through large bay windows, which offer a stunning view of the garden of thick-stemmed banana plants and chest-high cacti. The room is packed with intricately carved furniture: a dining table flanked by eight straight-backed chairs, a coffee table and a settee, plus four armchairs, a desk, a divan and a TV stand.