Our Forests

North America is rich with forestland and we cherish it for its natural beauty and as an important renewable resource. The public recognizes that there are environmental, social and economic concerns that come along with use of our nation's forests. Columbia Forest Products is committed to the support of sustainable and responsible forestry practices in order to meet the needs of current and future generations.

We appreciate forests for their natural ecosystems and wildlife habitats; the enjoyment they provide to tourists, hikers and campers; the jobs they support; the natural resources they provide to our industry and even the carbon they store and convert for the environment. Many cultures that live in forestlands are forever connected to their forest heritage. For all these reasons, the forest products industry must do our part to maintain the health and vitality of our nation's forests.

Responsible Forestry

Columbia supports responsible land stewardship. An important part of this vision is supporting the cause of environmental vitality. Forest products are attractive, durable and renewable. We believe that properly managed forests can last forever.

We value the logs we buy and have developed manufacturing processes that use every part of the logs we acquire. From increasing our efficiencies to peel more veneer from each log, to recycling and using any waste wood in our plants... no part of the log goes unused.

Central to our goals are our resource choices. We maximize the use of tree species that are abundant in the areas where we buy logs. That means that we use only species that grow naturally and in great numbers in the region. This ensures biodiversity in the ecosytem and that no particular species will be over harvested. This is why you'll find our plywood cores consist of poplar in the South, aspen in the North and fir or pine in the West. These are the trees that are plentiful in those regions.

Our resource choices positioned the company to partner with landowners and participate in forest certification. In 1998 Columbia was the first decorative hardwood plywood company certified to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody standards by SmartWood, a division of the Rainforest Alliance and bears the COC number SW-COC-000065 for its US based operations. By offering products that are FSC-certified we are supporting the growth of responsible forest management around the globe. Certified wood must maintain a "chain of custody" and a documentation trail from the forest to the finished product. That means an FSC-certified cabinet was made from wood that was sourced from an FSC-certified forest, was milled by an FSC-certified panel manufacturer and fabricated by an FSC-certified craftsman. If any point in the chain is broken the finished product is no longer certified. Certification requires regular monitoring and auditing to ensure system integrity by making sure certified and non-certified materials are not mixed together in the manufacturing process.

Our foresters who are part of our FSC-certified resource management team are a vital element to our responsible forestry strategy. They guarantee the forest lands we manage will be harvested in a way that encourages efficient use of the forest resources while maintaining biological diversity, water resources, soils, wildlife habitats, fragile ecosystems and landscapes. By doing so the integrity of the forest is maintained. If you own forestland in one of the regions listed below and would like one of our foresters to contact you, call or email the appropriate regional contact.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5
Next: North American Forestland

FSC-Certified products available upon request.
The mark of responsible forestry. By buying products with an FSC label you are supporting the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
©1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C.   SW-FM/COC-000091