Plum Creek To Audit Forestry Practices For SFI Compliance

Plum Creek Timber Co. will be obtaining independent, third-party audits to verify that its forest management practices comply with the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), as developed by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). The comprehensive audits will be conducted annually.

Strengthening this commitment, Plum Creek will initiate a new log procurement policy for its manufacturing facilities to ensure that its timber suppliers are also in compliance with SFI. "Our forestry standards are among the highest in North America," said Rick Holley, president and CEO.

"Full involvement in the SFI program demonstrates our continuing commitment to be leaders in our industry and in environmental forestry. As the fifth largest private timberland owner in the nation, with more than 3.3 million acres in six states, we accept the challenge of this additional public scrutiny and are excited to be able to deliver verification of our high standard of stewardship to the public and our customers," Holley addded.

The company's enhanced log procurement policy will take effect Jan. 1, 2000, and will require that all logs delivered to Plum Creek mills be harvested by trained logging professionals who demonstrate adherence to SFI principles. "We want to assure our customers that all Plum Creek products are derived from logs harvested in an environmentally responsible manner," Holley emphasized. "They know this is true on our own lands, but by the year 2000 we will be able to make those same assurances for 100% of the logs we use in our mills."

Under its own environmental principles, Plum Creek has conducted internal audits since 1995 with the assistance of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, as the environmental auditing firm. Additionally, the company's forest practices are subject to routine state audits. Results of these audits have been presented in Plum Creek's environmental management report, which is available to the public.

SFI was developed in 1994 as a comprehensive system of principles, guidelines and performance measures designed to successfully integrate the growing and harvesting of trees with protection of wildlife, plants, soil, air and water quality.

Plum Creek is an integrated forest products company with operations in the northwestern, northeastern, and southern U.S.