Potlatch Corporation Adopts FSC Certification

Spokane, Washington-based Potlatch Corporation has become the first U.S.-based, publicly traded wood products company to have its forestlands certified according to standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Potlatch chairman and CEO L. Pendleton Siegel announced on April 20, 2004 that forestry operations on the company’s 668,000 acres (270,300 ha) in Idaho have been FSC-certified. The company’s Idaho lumber and plywood mills will be chain-of-custody certified by the third quarter of 2004, and Potlatch is evaluating FSC certification for its 320,000 acres (129,500 ha) in Minnesota and 485,000 acres (196,300 ha) in Arkansas.

Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) carried out the FSC certification for the company. “Potlatch approached the evaluation process with a commitment to transparency and a willingness to move to the next level in forest certification,” said Dr. Robert Hrubes, senior vice president of SCS. “FSC certification confirms that Potlatch is practicing responsible forest management on its Idaho lands.”