Saturday, 01 May 2004
Potlatch Corporation Receives FSC Forest Management Certification
Certification Completes Multi-Year Evaluation of 670,000 Acres of Industrial Forestlands in Idaho.
Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) announced on April 20th that it has granted FSC Forest Management certification to 670,000 acres of industrial forestlands owned by Potlatch Corporation, located near Lewiston, Idaho. Potlatch’s lumber mills within the resource management area will also receive ‘chain-of-custody’ certification, ensuring that the certified wood can be tracked throughout the handling process. The evaluation team determined that Potlatch manages its Idaho forestlands on a sustained yield basis, and also has an active program for identifying and conserving areas that have special values such as old growth forests, rare plants, and culturally important sites.
Potlatch Corporation also announced that it would seek FSC certification for its remaining forestlands in Minnesota and Arkansas, an additional 805,000 acres. Potlatch already holds one FSC Forest Management certification for its 17,000-acre hybrid poplar plantation in Northeastern Oregon, which was also granted by SCS.
“Our company regards third-party certification of our management practices as a public demonstration of our long-standing commitment to managing our forestlands and their various resources to assure their sustainability for future generations,” noted L. Pendleton Siegel, Chairman and CEO of Potlatch. “FSC certification also contributes significantly to our company’s strategy of employing third-party certification to improve company earnings and add to shareholder value,” he added.
“We are extremely pleased that Potlatch has decided to obtain FSC certification of its forest holdings,” said Roger Dower, President FSC-US. “By making this decision, Potlatch has established itself as a leader in responsible industrial forest management. We look forward to Potlatch wood products coming into the market to meet the growing demand for wood from well-managed forests.”
The certification evaluation team for SCS found, among other highlights, that Potlatch has a well-developed planning process, with clearly stated objectives, detailed procedures, responsibilities, and review timelines. In addition, Potlatch has a functioning Citizens Advisory Committee with broad representation of regional stakeholders.
“Potlatch approached the evaluation process with a commitment to transparency and a willingness to move to the next level in forest certification. FSC certification confirms that Potlatch is practicing responsible forest management on its Idaho lands,” said Dr. Robert Hrubes, SCS’s Senior Vice President and a registered professional forester.
Potlatch Corporation is a diversified forest products company with 4,300 employees in the United States. Net sales in 2003 were $1.5 billion, making Potlatch a mid-sized company within the U.S. forest products industry. Headquartered in Spokane, WA, sales offices are located throughout the United States and in Japan and Australia. Wood products produced by Potlatch include lumber, oriented strand board, industrial plywood, particleboard and wood chips. Pulp and paper products include bleached paperboard, private label tissue products, and high-quality bleached kraft market pulp. Potlatch Corporation is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol PCH).
The public summary portion of the certification report detailing all of the findings is available on the SCS website www.scscertified.com.
For more information about Potlatch Corporation, visit www.potlatchcorp.com.