Tembec receives FSC certification for forests supplying its Chetwynd high-yield pulp mill
Tembec has received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its forestry practices over an 872,728-ha public forest in Chetwynd, British Columbia. With now 12 Mha managed according to FSC standards, Tembec is the world leader in FSC certified forest areas and offers the largest range of FSC certified products in the marketplace. This announcement complements the 2006 FSC chain-of-custody certification of the high-yield pulp mill acquired back in 2002.
“Tembec is proud to be the first recipient of FSC certification in the Boreal forest in BC. It is a further demonstration of our commitment to seek third-party FSC certification for its forest operations and of our continuous improvement of forest management and partnership development, including with local First Nations,” said James Lopez, President and CEO of Tembec. “This allows us to support our customers in meeting increasing market demands for environmentally friendly products and solutions. This achievement represents a significant addition to our ability to provide FSC certified pulp generally and high-yield pulp in particular.”
The FSC is recognised worldwide as the gold standard for well-managed forests with its unique regional, multi-stakeholder approach to forest management. Founded in 1993, the FSC is an international, NGO that has developed the only forest certification system recognised worldwide by native peoples, environmental groups, labour organizations and industry. The certification system requires consultations with all forest users and stakeholders, and guarantees the independent evaluation of forest management practices used by companies. Tembec received its certification from the Rainforest Alliance SmartWoodTM Program, a Forest Stewardship Council accredited certifier.
“Achieving FSC certification is the culmination of months of hard work and represents a well-deserved recognition of the efforts of our BC Forest and Chetwynd teams,” said Dennis Rounsville, Executive Vice President and President of Tembec’s Forest Products Group. “We are particularly proud of the fact that we were able to develop land base management agreements with two oil and gas companies operating in the region in order to optimize planning, operations and utilization of timber.”
Tembec is a large, diversified and integrated forest products company which stands as the global leader in sustainable forest management practices. With operations principally located in North America and in France, the Company employs approximately 7,000 people.