Weyerhaeuser Wood Procurement Policy

Weyerhaeuser works to ensure that our sources comply with applicable laws and do not cause or encourage destruction of forest areas at risk of loss from unsustainable practices. These regions, which are identified in guidelines issued under this standard, include remaining natural forests in biodiversity hot spots and major tropical wilderness areas (as defined in Conservation International's conservation strategies of July 2002).

In the regions where we and our sources operate, Weyerhaeuser works with governments, environmental nongovernmental organizations, indigenous peoples, and communities to identify and help protect forest areas that are priorities for conservation.

In the United States and some areas of Canada, Weyerhaeuser also operates in conformance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® standard. When our SFI®-compliant operations procure externally sourced logs and chips for use in our manufacturing and chipping facilities or by our log customers, Weyerhaeuser operates in compliance with the SFI procurement principles and objectives.

Our commitment to the SFI standard means that Weyerhaeuser will not knowingly purchase wood, wood fiber, or wood products for distribution that originate from illegal logging. What's more, Weyerhaeuser will not harvest or purchase wood, wood fiber, or wood products for distribution from forest areas at risk of loss as described in guidelines issued under this standard unless the sources have been independently certified or verified as well managed.

Consequences of this policy include:

• Old-growth forests

  In the United States, Weyerhaeuser does not harvest or purchase standing timber or logs from public or private old-growth forests. We make exceptions only in limited circumstances that demonstrate a net environmental benefit or to respect the economic and cultural interests of indigenous peoples. In Canada, we work with the provinces, First Nations, environmental groups, and others to conserve old-growth forests while maintaining a viable forest products-based economy.

• Southern Hemisphere forests

  Outside of North America, our forestry operations in Australia and Uruguay are conducted on plantations. Our mills in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, Uruguay, and Brazil) use wood fiber only from our own plantations or other plantations nearby. For example, we buy the raw material for our Lyptus® premium hardwood, which is produced by our joint-venture sawmill in Brazil, from plantations outside the Amazon rain forest. These plantations, owned by others, are interspersed among indigenous forests so that one-third of the area is kept in native vegetation, helping maintain elements of the natural ecosystem.