The Meranti Timbre in Those Gorgeous Interiors of R.V.s

Well-researched articles like this remind me that investigative journalism still exists. When they don't encroach on politics and incumbent government figures, they have more leeway to push their content to a farther reach. 

I like the idea of having an R.V. (Recreational Vehicle). Except that I live in Singapore, and I have no parking spaces and nowhere to drive it to. Certainly not with a dog in tow. 

Obviously I wouldn't be wiser as to the source of the materials builders use to furnish the interiors of these motor homes. Although it isn't a surprise that meranti wood is used. It's a gorgeous wood that's used in many interiors. It's also known as lauan.

Journalist Sui-Lee Wee took a trek to West Kalimantan province in Indonesia to meet with villagers and find out what's going on. Published in The New York Times on August 19, 2025, 'The Rainforests Being Cleared to Build Your R.V.', the article questions "American demand for tropical wood that is used in motor homes, conservationists say, is accelerating the disappearance of some of the world’s largest forests."

Since 2020, the United States has bought more than $900 million of the lauan plywood that goes into R.V.s, the vast majority of it from Indonesia, U.S. trade data show. (Lauan is also used by the construction industry.)

When these trees are known to grow 'moderately fast', that still requires 50 years to reach 40 meters in height. Deforestation takes out huge swathes of trees in one fell swoop within a year. According to Earthsight, the meranti timber from Mayawana's deforestation in 2023 ended up in the American R.V. industry's supply chain. 

While the Indonesian government could try to control the rate of deforestation, in the face of enormous profits, they are hard-pressed to fight against market forces. 

Mayawana’s logging also upended a community 80 miles north of Sungai Mata-Mata village. Sabar Bubu is home to about a hundred subsistence farmers on the western edge of Indonesia Borneo.

One morning last year, Andreas Ratius, the leader of the community and a Dayak Indigenous man, was harvesting leaves to feed his pigs. Above him, the soaring canopy formed a lattice of overlapping greens that filtered the sunlight. Bird calls echoed through the treetops.

For generations the hamlet’s ethos has been to conserve this hilly forest that it considers sacred, Mr. Ratius said, adding, “Animals should not be disturbed, large trees should not be cut down.” But in 2020, Mayawana crews arrived and razed part of the hill.

Some residents of Sabar Bubu and nearby areas said they had been detained by the police for protesting against Mayawana and had lost their livelihoods because of the deforestation.

Maria Adoh had planted rubber trees over a decade on a 50-acre plot of land in the area. “It was all flattened,” she said, in tears. She now has to rely on odd jobs to make a living, she said, and sometimes earns nothing.

Unsurprisingly, the journalist was unable to get comments from companies who make these travel trailers. No spokesperson is going to risk tipping over boulder that has kept all the information on supply chain of wood quiet. Those who did reply, claimed that they have no idea about the source of the supply chain or they don't have any knowledge of it. 

Meranti is on the IUCN red list of endangered species of woods. There are different species, and most of them are endangered due to high demand, and also agriculture and mining in the forests where these trees grow.  

London-based investigative NGO Earthsight exposes environmental crimes and social injustice, and looks at global supply chains. Earthsight watches the satellite images, monitor illegal logging, and goes to the sites to verify the loss of forests and the acts of deforestation. 

Earthsight has found out that this R.V industry has profited much from illegal logging in Indonesia and Malaysia. There's a whole investigative piece about it, backed with research data, citations and industry reports. 

In Europe, a law will take effect in December 2025 which bans the import of products linked to deforestation, including wood. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires importers to trace their supplies of timber and other commodities that drive deforestation – such as beef, palm oil and soy – back to the plot of land where they were harvested, to ensure they were produced legally, and not on land deforested since 2020.

While Indonesian exporters of lauan plywood to the EU are cleaning up their supply chains, there is no such pressure on exporters to do the same for the much larger volumes sent to the US.

An existing US law, the Lacey Act, does ban US companies from importing wood that was illegally harvested or traded. But it does not ban wood from legal deforestation – like the timber from PT Indosubur Sukses Makmur, which holds a permit to clear forest. Nor does it require US importers to obtain details about the wood’s origin beyond the species and country of harvest. US environmental groups have also denounced a failure to fully enforce the law.

Earthsight and the environmental groups are urging the US government to strengthen the Lacey Act in terms of enforcement, to have a traceability requirement built into it for greater accountability. The Lacey Act of 1900 was last amended in 2008. It's time for a refresh. 

Well, in this aspect, Trump's tariffs ain't a bad thing. LOL From the initial 32% on Indonesian imports in April 2025, it went down to 19% in July. A combination of high tariffs and higher enforcement will keep the suppliers in this global supply chain on their toes. At least the American companies will then take a hard look at importing deforested wood and feigning ignorance about their sources. The Indonesian government authorizes almost all logging activities in the country. However, logging concessions are also granted to companies, which then form a chain that's hard to track and trace if logging is done sustainably and ethically. 

Oddly, many people who love owning and driving an R.V buy into the whole lifestyle, including the eco-friendly aspects. When buyers question the materials used in fitting out an R.V, and asks detailed questions, then the whole chain will be forced to re-look at their supply lines. Hopefully the consumers and R.V. buyers make a stand against deforestation and suppliers using endangered wood.