Boise, ATFA Partner on First Certified Forest Lands in Alabama

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Boise collaborated with the ATFA and local landowners to apply for FSC certification of their managed forest lands. The company will now be able to purchase FSC certified fiber locally for use at its paper mill in Jackson, Ala.

"We are proud to be part of this historic moment in Alabama's forest history," said Thad Becton, Boise process improvement manager. "Sustainability is one of Boise's core values and this endeavor supports all three sustainability pillars—environmental, social, and economic—by supporting the local landowners and communities while continuing to purchase fiber from responsibly managed, certified forests."

Boise maintains a certification-neutral position and is active not only with FSC, but with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) as well as other sustainability organizations and initiatives.

In Alabama, private landowners manage 95% of the more than 23 million acres of the state's forests. "For the past 20 years, the ATFA and its members have been committed to responsible forest management practices and to educating all people, especially our children, about the many values society receives from well-managed privately owned family forest land," said James David Malone, executive director of the Alabama Treasure Forest Association. Malone added that the partnership between ATFA, Boise, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) that resulted in certification will allow ATFA to increase the educational outreach programs started with the NWF, and enable southern forest landowners that are or become members of ATFA to obtain a share of the market.