Expertise related to the development of tools for the identification of timber and other wood products incl. plywood and charcoal. Wood forensics, visual identification keys, collection of thin sections and charcoals, lumber yield assessments, sustainable management and inventories. Study sites and collaborations in Cameroun, DRC, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, USA, Belgium. Research on wood identification tools, including microscopic analysis of anatomical features and DNA analysis and chemical analysis of the metabolite content (DART-TOFMS) and automatic pattern recognition. Belgian governmental reference collection of wood samples, with specimens from the whole world, particularly rich for Central-Africa. Includes CITES protected species such as rosewoods, palisander and mahoganies. More than 80 000 specimens from 13 000 species of lignified plants. An online database is available. Belgian Court-approved laboratory for any wood related matters (Belgium). Member of the scientific advisory board, temporary member with credentials of the CITES Scientific Authority, incl. methodology and implementation of non-detriment findings (NDFs).
English