NewPage Teams with L.L.Bean, WWOA to Advance Certification of Wisconsin Forests

NewPage Corp., Miamisburg, Ohio, USA, this week announced that it has teamed with L.L.Bean and the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Assn. (WWOA) to increase sustainably managed woodlands in six Central Wisconsin counties. The project partners will provide forest management assistance and third-party certification using certification standards of the American Tree Farm System to woodland owners at no cost.

The initial pilot program is targeted at WWOA-member woodland owners in the Central Sands Chapter, which includes Wood, Portage, Waushara, Adams, Juneau, and Marquette counties. To date, 42 landowners owning more than 6,000 acres of forest have committed to the program.

According to Brian Kozlowski, director of sustainable development at NewPage, "This groundbreaking project reflects a shared commitment to forest stewardship. At the same time, it helps increase the availability of locally certified wood to support the growing demand from our customers, including L.L.Bean, seeking paper sourced from certified timberlands."

In 2011, 48% of the fiber purchased by NewPage came from certified sources. NewPage is the largest buyer of pulpwood in the Great Lake States. This program is designed to increase the level of certification and provide forest management resources to WWOA members.

TAPPI
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