Managing our own forests sustainably is the first step in a responsible supply chain. But we don't just use wood from our own forests to make our products. Most wood products mills, like ours, buy logs from other landowners and wood residuals from other mills. 

Wood baskets (the term we use to describe the area a mill sources wood from) are made up of many landowners and forest types. Whether certified or not, it's important to us and our customers that all of the wood used to make our products comes from legal, responsible and non-controversial sources. That's exactly what our fiber sourcing certification ensures. 

Hand in hand with fiber sourcing, our chain of custody certification enables us to track fiber from a certified forest (like ours) through production and communicate to our customers the percentage of certified content in the products we sell to them. Just like our forest management certification, our fiber sourcing and chain of custody certifications are verified by third-party auditors.  

FIBER SOURCING 

Our entire wood fiber supply chain, all of the wood that enters our manufacturing facilities and export yards, is certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative's® Fiber Sourcing standard. This certification lets our customers rest at night, knowing our products are from responsible, legal and non-controversial sources. We communicate this to our customers by using the "SFI® Certified Sourcing" label on our products. 

What we really like about the SFI® Fiber Sourcing standard is it give us a framework to broaden the use of responsible forestry practices on the non-certified forests in our wood basket. We do this by requiring and encouraging the use of best management practices to protect water quality in forest tracts from which we procure logs. We monitor for patterns and trends in how practices are being implemented in our wood baskets and actively promote the practices of sustainable forestry through outreach and education to landowners and communities. 

We collaborate on the development and delivery of training for logging professionals. Since logging professionals are on-the-ground harvesting tracts, training on sustainable forest practices equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to harvest logs to ensure protection of water quality, biodiversity and the many other benefits working forests provide. 

The SFI® Fiber Sourcing standard doesn't stop there. We are required to show our fiber doesn't originate from illegal sources, regardless of the country of origin. There is plenty more to learn about the Fiber Sourcing standard on the SFI website. 

The next time you are buying wood products, look for the SFI® "Certified Sourcing" label to know your products are from responsibly managed forests.

CHAIN OF CUSTODY

While all of the wood fiber at our manufacturing facilities comes from responsible sources, not all of it is from a certified forest. Chain of custody is an accounting system that tracks wood fiber from a certified forest through the different stages of production. It allows us to tell our customers (some who might be making their own products with our wood or residuals) the amount of wood we sell to them that is from a certified forest. This gives them the ability to tell their customers that their products are made from fiber from certified forests. Simply, chain of custody tracks the amount of certified fiber from the forest to a product like a napkin, cup or pellet. 

Our senior management team is committed to implementing SFI® and PEFC chain of custody standards at sites with customer demand throughout our operations. Learn more about the the SFI Chain-of-Custody program and view our certificates.

ENCOURAGING LEGALLY SOURCED WOOD

It is our longstanding policy and practice to ensure we and our fiber suppliers comply with all laws and that our procurement practices do not cause or encourage the destruction of forest areas at risk of loss due to illegal and unsustainable forest management practices. 

We do not knowingly purchase or use wood, wood fiber or products for distribution that originate from illegal logging. We conduct a due-diligence assessment which includes the species and country of origin of our products. Our responsible fiber sourcing practices are guided by our Wood Procurement Policy.

We also maintain compliance with domestic and international laws related to the use of illegal timber, including the Lacey Act in the United States and the European Timber Regulation. The Lacey Act, amended in 2008, combats global trafficking in illegally taken wildlife, fish and plants, as well as illegally sourced wood and wood products. The European Timber Regulation was adopted by the European Union in 2013 and, like the Lacey Act, makes it unlawful to trade in wood from illegal sources.

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