In June, Russia abolished periodic customs declaration of wood and wood products (TN VED 44). The aim of the change is to increase the transparency of the forest sector and tighten control on wood exports.  The notification procedure used for periodic customs declaration has created a possibility for illegal wood exports.  In addition, the change is justified by the difficulty for the customs authorities to determine the exact export volumes in periodic customs declaration. According to the analysis of Russian customs, currency regulations have also been violated when part of the wood export revenues ...