Newsletter Stories


Tuesday, 01 July 2003
Finch, Pruyn & Company, Inc.

Making Certified Paper from Forest to Finished Product


Finch, Pruyn & Company, Inc., of Glens Falls, NY, has recently become the first company in the United States to receive a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management and Chain-of-Custody certification that will allow them to have complete control in the manufacturing of their certified paper, from the forest to the finished product. The certification was granted by SmartWood, a program of the Rainforest Alliance.

Finch, Pruyn was founded in 1865 and is a locally owned, independent manufacturer of premium uncoated printing paper, and owns 166,000 acres of professionally managed forests. In addition to harvesting pulpwood on its land, the company markets sawlogs across its region, creating a wealth of opportunities for other companies in the area that are FSC-certified, or wish to become FSC-certified. As one of the largest landowners in New York State, Finch, Pruyn has been a driving force for conservation in the Adirondacks for many years. They have invested more than $106 million in the past 3 decades to environmental protection initiatives, such as using an elemental chlorine-free bleaching process since 1997, and the use of an on-site waste treatment plant.

The company’s Forest Management certification encompasses 166,000 acres of northern hardwood forest, containing predominately Sugar Maple, American Beech, Black Spruce and Aspen trees. Their chain-of-custody certification will allow them to manufacture certified pulp and paper, sourcing logs from their own certified forest, as well as the nearby FSC-certified forests of the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks.

“Finch, Pruyn has prided itself on managing its forests in a responsible and sustainable manner for more than a century now," said Finch, Pruyn Woodlands Manager Roger Dziengeleski. “FSC certification provides our customers and others with strong, third-party affirmation of our success in growing our forests for today and future generations."

Since its founding in 1865, Finch, Pruyn has evolved from a sawmill/lumberyard operation to today’s manufacturer of fine uncoated printing papers, known throughout the graphic arts and printing industries for their outstanding brightness, smoothness, opacity and printing surface. Finch, Pruyn employs more than 800 people and manufactures more than 240,000 tons per year of high-quality paper.

“SmartWood is very pleased to add a company with Finch, Pruyn’s impressive reputation to our FSC portfolio," noted Dave Bubser, SmartWood Manager for the United States. “The fact that they proceeded with great care in terms of pursuing certification, and chose to work with SmartWood and the FSC speaks highly of their environmental commitments and their integrity. Finch, Pruyn stands out as an excellent example of forest stewardship in the Adirondacks, and their certification further extends the FSC marketplace, offering various opportunities to area companies and environmentally-minded consumers."

For more info, please visit www.finchpaper.com.