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Forest Stewardship Council (US)
USDA Forest Service
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Rainforest Alliance:
In the Forest
Related Pages
Forest Certification Program
Responsible Forestry
North American Forestland
Responsible Forestry Practices
Common Timber Resources
Related Documents (PDF)
CFP FSC CoC Certificate - US
CFP FSC CoC Certificate - Canada
CFP FSC-FM Certificate
FSC Newsletter
Landowner
Brochure
USDA
Report on Sustainable Forests
Contact Info
Interested in Certification? Email our
Certified Forestry Team
Interested in selling Timber or Logs?
S. Appalachians, NC, TN, VR, WV:
Jim Sitts,
888.737.0514
Ontario, Canada:
Norm Stephenson,
705.362.4320
Klamath, OR - Shasta, CA Region:
Mark Slezak,
541.273.2504
Northeast & Lake States:
Dwight Jensen,
802.334.6711
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.
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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