A recent investigation carried out by the organizations Earthsight (United Kingdom) and Auriga Nusantara (Indonesia) exposes how the demand for tropical wood by manufacturers of recreational vehicles in the United States is contributing to the accelerated deforestation on the island of Borneo, home to the last great tropical jungle in Asia.
Tropical wood in floors, ceilings, and walls of trailers
According to the report, there is solid evidence that sheets of lauan wood, extracted from Indonesian forests, are used in the manufacture of floors, walls, and ceilings of trailers produced by brands such as Jayco, Winnebago, and Forest River.
This wood, valued for its lightness and strength, is allegedly being exported without sufficient environmental controls, fueling a supply chain that endangers critical ecosystems.
An environmental paradox: nature tourism with destructive impact
“Nature-loving RV owners will be horrified to learn that their hobby is endangering the destruction of tropical rainforests,” said Sam Lawson, director of Earthsight.
The report questions why American RV industry companies have not yet adopted minimum sustainability standards, as other industries have done for decades.
Borneo: biodiversity threatened by logging and industrial expansion
Indonesia records high levels of deforestation, linked to mining, intensive agriculture, and commercial logging, often with limited state supervision. In Borneo, large areas of orangutan habitat have been detected being destroyed to establish fast-growing timber plantations, according to researchers.
The island is a refuge for emblematic species such as the Bornean orangutan, the proboscis monkey, the clouded leopard, the pig-tailed macaque, the flying fox, and the smallest rhinoceros on the planet. The loss of forest cover jeopardizes their survival and ecological balance.
Bornean orangutans are victims of deforestation
Exporting companies and commercial ties with the US
The investigation identifies the company PT Kayu Lapis Asli Murni as the main supplier of plywood extracted from tropical forests, much of which was exported in 2024 to American companies MJB Wood and Tumac Lumber.
None of the mentioned companies responded to the authors of the report or issued public statements on the matter. There was also no official response from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment, as reported by the AFP agency.
Call to action: traceability, transparency, and sustainable standards
The report concludes with an urgent call for RV industry companies in the United States to adopt sustainability criteria, ensure traceability in their supply chains, and commit to protecting tropical forests.
The paradox of promoting nature tourism while destroying ecosystems to manufacture the vehicles that enable it demands a thorough review of commercial and regulatory practices.
