Plum Creek's 'green lumber' label challenged

An environmental watchdog group based in Lake Oswego, Ore. filed a complaint with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative on Dec. 18 challenging the “green lumber” certification for Plum Creek Timberlands.

The Center for Sustainable Economy’s complaint focuses on Plum Creek’s logging operations in Oregon’s Coast Range, pointing to 11 civil citations over the past six years for violating state logging regulations. Four of the citations were for exceeding the 120-acre clear-cutting limit.

The complaint demands that the Sustainable Forestry Initiative immediately suspend certification for Plum Creek in Oregon and investigate the company’s logging practices throughout the country.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative was established by the timber industry but has since become an independent nonprofit certifying stewardship on more than 240 million acres of private forests. Outside auditors certify that companies conform to standards for environmentally responsible logging.

The nonprofit organization verifies whether timber producers follow standards for environmentally responsible logging, including replanting after harvest, protecting water and biological diversity, and complying with environmental laws and regulations.

The “green lumber” certification does more than improve a company’s image — it can create important economic benefits. Some state and federal agencies are required to buy products that are certified as sustainable, and some businesses and retailers have sustainability policies. Home Depot claims on its Web site that it only sells lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, another major certification organization.

The Center for Sustainable Economy’s complaint includes Google Earth images allegedly showing landslides in areas logged by Plum Creek.

“The fragmentation caused by large clear-cuts is a driver of extinction for wildlife dependent upon interior forest conditions and one of the most damaging ecological impacts associated with forest operations in Oregon,” the complaint said.

The company also was cited for failing to protect riparian zones along fish-bearing streams, allowing logging-road drainage into a stream and failing to notify state regulators of changes in logging operations.

Plum Creek claims on its Web site that all its timberlands are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. The company responded to the complaint by saying it was reviewing it.

“Plum Creek is committed to practicing sustainable forestry wherever we operate,” company spokeswoman Kathy Budinick said. “There is an established process in place for handling such complaints, and we will engage fully in the process to understand and address this complaint.”

Sustainable Forestry Initiative spokeswoman Elizabeth Woodworth said Plum Creek has 45 days to respond and the complaint will be taken up by an outside auditor.