Columbia Forest pitches stewardship to forest owners
By Triad Business Journal
Plywood manufacturer Columbia Forest Products has launched a new online portal meant to help landowners manage and improve their forested property with an eye toward supplying logs for the company in the future.
Greensboro, N.C.-based Columbia Forest Products is a member of the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies suppliers of wood, paper and other forest products for sustainability.
Columbia's Web portal is meant to give small landowners information about how to properly manage their resources. The company, which moved its headquarters from Portland to North Carolina in 2008, will provide a professional forest management plan at no charge to qualified owners in exchange for a first-right-of-refusal on timber that is ready to harvest.
Jim Sitts, Columbia's Appalachian timber manager, said there are hunting clubs, conservation groups and "gentleman farmers" that could benefit from the program.
"Many folks who thought a detailed forest management plan, let alone an FSC Certified forest management plan, was unobtainable due to the size of their ownership or issues with the expense were surprised and pleased with the results of working within Columbia’s sourcing group," he said.
Sitts said Columbia has enrolled over 35,000 acres of forest land it that program during the past 10 years.
Columbia operates a plywood mill in Klamath Falls where it started making plywood with FSC Certified wood in 1999. The company partnered with researchers at Oregon State University to make a formaldehyde-free wood adhesive that mimics the way mussels grip rocks.
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