Responsibility in forest management.
Our Priority
Our Woodlands department is fully committed to responsible and sustainable forest management of the lands where operations are conducted. Our commitment to the environment encompasses the highest levels of stewardship and welcomes accountability. Under BC Forest Safety Council, Downie’s Woodlands department is certified as a safe company
Social Responsibility
The planning of a new forest begins before a stand of trees is harvested. The company’s professional foresters and technicians make a comprehensive social and ecological evaluation of the area in order to determine how to harvest, reforest and protect the forest lands they manage. Forest management activities must be consistent with the Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) which sets out the objectives, strategies, results and practice requirements for both timber and non-timber resource management in the forests that supply timber to our mill.
Forest Management doesn’t end when the logs are hauled off the cut block. Every hectare logged is reforested with a mix of species. Plantations are closely monitored for up to 20 years to ensure continued success and long term productivity. The number, species and distribution of trees is based on the original stand type, ecosystem, elevation as well as social objectives for wildlife, water and other values.
Environmental Management
Downie Woodlands operations are conducted within an Environmental Management System (EMS). The EMS consists of comprehensive plans, inspections, training, and reporting mechanisms that ensure activities do not cause undue harm to the environment.
In 2013, Downie Timber, in conjunction with Gorman Bros. Lumber and Canoe Forest Products, (the Gorman Group) successfully achieved 3rd party Certification under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. Our land-based Sustainable Forest Management Plan (SFMP) supports our SFI certification through a series of audits and reporting on an annual basis. As part of our SFI system, we provide Best Management Practices for forest management to our log suppliers to promote forest management on lands beyond those that we manage under our licences. Downie Timber has also implemented the PEFC Chain of Custody on our forest products. This system is designed to track logs from sustainably managed forest through processing into finished products and market.