Wood Procurement Guidelines

Implementation guidelines for worldwide wood procurement

Background and purpose of guidelines

Weyerhaeuser has committed, through our international land management and procurement activities, to:

promote the conservation of natural forests in areas identified as biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas . . . [and] to work with governments, conservation organizations and others to ensure that [our] procurement practices strengthen efforts to thwart illegal logging.

This commitment extends to procurement of all wood-based raw materials for all of our mills worldwide, and to the purchase of products by our building materials distribution business. This commitment is reflected in Weyerhaeuser's Wood Procurement Standard.

These guidelines help affected Weyerhaeuser businesses implement the Wood Procurement Standard and avoid sourcing raw materials or products from forest areas identified at the global level as being at risk of loss, or as not controlling illegal logging.

The areas described in these guidelines may change from time to time, as additional areas at risk are identified. This may be for biological reasons, i.e., a forest type that cannot or is not being managed sustainably, or for governance reasons, i.e., a region's political, social, or legal institutions are inadequate to support sustainable forestry. We support the development of, and use information produced by, environmental nongovernmental organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, national governments and scientific organizations to understand the risks to different areas of the world, and to help determine forest areas to include in these guidelines.

Regional and local conservation efforts

At the regional and local level, we work with governments, environmental nongovernmental organizations, indigenous peoples and communities to identify and help protect forest areas that are priorities for conservation. For publicly owned lands, we support and participate in land use planning through government processes. For privately owned lands, we support protection efforts by conservation organizations as well as government, including land exchanges, sales, conservation easements and other initiatives.

In addition, we address forest conservation through our Sustainable Forestry Standard and other parts of our environmental management systems, and our commitment to certification of our forest management and procurement systems.

Biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas

Weyerhaeuser will not harvest or buy wood, wood fiber or products for distribution from natural forests in biodiversity hotspots or major tropical wilderness areas. The only exception is sources independently certified or verified as having come from well managed forests. Biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas are areas outside North America defined and mapped by Conservation International as of July 1, 2002. See: http://www.conservation.org/explore/priority_areas/Pages/hotspots.aspx

Old-growth forests in the United States

Weyerhaeuser will not harvest or buy wood from old-growth forests on public or private land in the United States. The only exceptions are forests harvested with active support from environmental groups due to a net environmental benefit (e.g., the Sierra Club Checkerboard Project); respect for the autonomy of indigenous peoples (e.g., the Warm Springs Indian Tribe); and support for public land managers' efforts to improve forest health. We do not have control over old-growth content of fiber supplies or products made by third-parties, and therefore will not represent them as free of old-growth in the Pacific Northwest.

For Weyerhaeuser's operations, old-growth forests in the United States are found in the Pacific Northwest and are 200-250 years of age or older.

Illegal logging

Weyerhaeuser will not knowingly purchase or use wood, wood fiber or products for distribution that originate from illegal logging. Weyerhaeuser also will exercise all reasonable due diligence to ensure that its wood, wood fiber, and products for distribution either originate in countries with effective laws against illegal logging, or are independently certified or verified under other credible and transparent safeguards. These safeguards may include environmental management systems certified to the ISO 14001 standard if the risk of illegal logging is identified and addressed as a significant aspect.

Illegal logging is defined as harvesting activities that result in theft of timber or logs, or cutting in parks, reserves or other similar areas where harvesting activities are otherwise precluded by law.

Transition

Weyerhaeuser may, at its discretion, continue to work with sources that demonstrate their ability to come into compliance with this standard within an agreed-upon period of time.