Customers worldwide can take solace as the state of Indiana and the lumber companies of this state manage its forests in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. The state has applied for and received certification from two outside programs which have reviewed Indiana’s abilities to offer a sustainable lumber supply while maintaining a strong forest environment. Indiana’s state-owned forests are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program and by the Forest Stewardship Council. These organizations demand strict and comprehensive requirements of compliance that are based on the premise that “responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist to the benefit of landowners, shareholders, customers, the people they serve, the environment and future generations.”
In addition to the state forests, 600,000 acres of Indiana private forest land are Classified Forests and certified through the American Tree Farm System Certification (ATFS Group Certification). This allows the 8,000 individual Indiana Landowners to band together under one umbrella organization with ATFS processes. These landowners have agreed to manage their forests according to the American Forest Foundation Standards of Sustainability and, based on the Indiana forest facts below, there couldn’t be a better place to harvest hardwoods than Indiana’s vast forest regions.
*Source: Premium Indiana Forest Products, 2009 http://www.indianawoodisgood.org/default.asp?pi=265
