Sustainability
TimberWest manages its assets for long-term sustainability to assure a steady and continuing flow of high quality timber and cooperation with its neighboring communities
Protection of biodiversity is a key element of sustainable forest management and TimberWest continually strives to improve efforts to sustain key habitat for plants and wildlife. This endeavor is not only part of delivering on our social and environmental license to operate, it meets the increasing market demand for products from timberlands that have been independently certified as having high standards of environmental management.
TimberWest has achieved third party certification of all operations under ISO 14001 and of our private lands under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Private Forest Land Regulations
TimberWest private forest lands are bound by over 35 different legislative regulations. TimberWest's field performance consistently meets – and often exceeds – those regulatory requirements while holding the line on costs and maintaining the private lands advantage.
In 2000, the results-based Private Land Forest Practices Regulations came into effect. This regulation was the outcome of four years of work and the combined efforts of government and the Private Forest Landowners Association. These regulations respect private property rights and allow owners to adopt the most effective methods of protecting the environmental values of water quality, fish habitat, critical wildlife habitat and soil conservation. The implementation of the regulations allowed TimberWest to demonstrate the success of a results-based approach to environmental regulation.
Public Forest Tenure Legislation
TimberWest’s public forest tenures fall under the Forest and Range Practices Act which replaced the Forest Practices Code Act in 2004. Under this legislation, TimberWest works with its public land peers to ensure biodiversity is conserved across the landscape, and sustainable forest management remains the goal.