Environment

As the largest private landowner in the United States, Plum Creek has long conducted its business with a strong commitment to the environment. Our sustainable forestry practices - on more than 7 million acres of timberland - confirm this commitment. The SFI Principles and our manufacturing standards guide our activities in the forest and in our 10 manufacturing facilities in the Northwest.

These principles are the foundation of our efforts to protect and grow value for our investors. They also help to ensure that we meet all regulatory requirements and the environmental expectations of our investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders. Some of our related practices include:

• Replanting
  Each year, we plant approximately 70 million seedlings and plan for the natural regeneration of millions of trees. 
  
• Protecting Water Quality
  We implement Best Management Practices and forest practices regulations for water quality in all states where we operate. 
  
• Managing Wildlife Habitat
  Approximately 2.5 million acres of company lands are involved in four Habitat Conservation Plans throughout the country, as well as conservation agreements for the grizzly bear in Montana and the red-cockaded woodpecker in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.  

In 1999, Plum Creek was the first company to have all of its lands certified to SFI standards. Today, our more than 7 million acres conform to the 2005-2009 SFI Standard.  It is Plum Creek’s policy to maintain a continuous SFI certification over all our property and to undergo third-party SFI surveillance audits by PricewaterhouseCoopers on portions of our ownership on a rotating schedule every 12 to 18 months. This cycle of surveillance audits covers all Plum Creek lands over a five-year period.

Plum Creek’s current audit rotation under the 2005-2009 SFI Standard requires audits in Washington and Montana in 2006, the Lake States Region and Maine/New Hampshire in 2007, the Southern Region and West Virginia in 2008, and Oregon in 2009.