International Paper Inc. and a forest conservation group announced a plan to protect endangered forests in key paper-producing areas of the South of the US. Source: Ventura County Star
The Memphis-based paper company and Dogwood Alliance said they would map areas around International Paper’s southeastern operations to identify endangered forests or places where conservation of natural resources is vital to environmental health.
The agreement between International Paper and Dogwood, a long time critic of the company, also includes a plan to discourage the conversion of natural hardwood forests to pine plantations.
The first step will be a pilot project to map forests around the company’s mill. The partners will then try to apply the mapping practices to other paper-producing areas in the region.
The South is one of the world’s largest paper-producing areas, and International Paper has a large presence there. Some environmental experts point to deforestation as an element of climate change, and conservation groups have pushed paper companies to change the way they harvest wood.
Danna Smith, executive director of Dogwood Alliance, said the plan would improve forest management practices to help protect water quality and wildlife habitat.
“This is a big deal because, historically in the South, bigger companies have been sourcing wood without really paying a lot of attention to where it’s coming from and what kinds of important ecological values or special places might exist on the landscape,” Smith said. “This is a new way of thinking about how to source wood.”
Dogwood has been critical of International Paper in the past, claiming the company has supported and funded destructive forestry practices such as logging endangered forests, draining wetlands and converting natural forests to tree plantations.
Dogwood pressured International Paper by securing deals from the company’s larger customers, such as Staples and Office Depot, to adopt paper procurement policies that would change the company’s practices.
One of Dogwood’s goals is to develop more sources of paper and wood products that are certified to the high standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.
In addition to the partnership, International Paper also announced a $7.5 million five-year project with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to restore and conserve forests in the Coastal Carolinas, Cumberland Plateau, and the piney woods regions of Texas and Arkansas.
International Paper said it’s important to engage critics as part of its process to improve the company.
“(International Paper) has a clear, built-in need to maintain healthy forests; our business creates the economic basis for millions of acres of land to remain as forests over long periods of time,” Teri Shanahan, International Paper’s vice president of sustainability, said in a statement.
