Working toward a more sustainable future in packaging design: UPM Raflatac joins Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Resolute Forest Products Inc. (NYSE: RFP) (TSX: RFP) today announced its strong endorsement of the Alliance forêt boréale call for a working group to address recent issues regarding some Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certificates in the Province of Quebec. Earlier today, Alliance forêt boréale held a press conference in Saguenay, Quebec, and issued a press release calling on the Government of Quebec to form a working group comprised of regional and provincial government officials and FSC representatives to better understand all aspects of FSC certification and the path to restoring recently suspended regional FSC certificates, as well as to address ongoing misinformation spread by certain activist groups.

DS Smith is pleased to confirm that it has received the Brownfield Briefing Award’s Best Biodiversity Enhancement Award for its environmental remediation project at the site of its former papermaking mill at Silverton, Devon, UK. Silverton Mill was one of the UK’s oldest paper mills, and was located within the Killerton National Trust estate in Devon. It closed its doors in 1999 after a paper manufacturing history that had lasted over 200 years, but had left the surrounding area contaminated with industrial waste. The mill buildings themselves rapidly decayed in the years after the machinery was removed from the site. Click Read More below for additional information.

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) today announced a new initiative to ensure family-owned forests in the southern United States can continue to meet the growing and changing global market needs for sustainable wood supplies, while protecting and enhancing wildlife habitat and other forest benefits, now and for future generations. This announcement comes on the heels of a new report from AFF - Vanishing Pieces of the Puzzle - that highlights the most significant resources, or benefits, Americans receive from family-owned forests – with wood for products being a top benefit, along with clean air and water, wildlife habitat and species biodiversity, space for recreation and rural jobs. The report also revealed regional priorities, with wood and wildlife habitat emerging as top in the South. Through this new initiative, AFF will assess how these forest benefits vary across woodbaskets in the south and how sustainable land management can play a role in protecting and enhancing them. Overall, the forest products industry in the South produces 57 percent of the total U.S. timber harvested by volume. This industry supports more than 439,000 jobs, as well as indirect employment, totaling 1.1 million jobs. The economic engine behind this industry is driven largely by private forests, where in the South, 58 percent are owned by families and individuals. In recent years, some southern forests and forest owners have seen an increase in demand for wood pellets and other products, for both domestic and European markets. Through this assessment, AFF will gain insight into how these demands are impacting the South's family forests and identify potential strategies to help family woodland owners continue to sustain these forests and their benefits. Not coincidentally, southern forests also rank at the top of all forests in biodiversity when measured by wildlife and plant species, with 12 southern states ranking in the top 20 in the U.S. in number of species. According to an April 2015 report issued by the National Academy of Science, three of the top five priority locations for conservation fall within this southern region. “AFF has a long history, almost 75 years, of successfully working with family forest landowners through the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and other AFF programs, to ensure forests provide for all Americans,” said Rita Hite, Executive Vice President of Woodlands at AFF. “The Southern Initiative is just one of the ways we are looking into how we can evolve and strengthen our programs to ensure family-owned forests meet our needs today and in the future. We hope that our partners in the forest community and the forest products supply chain, from manufacturers to consumers, see the potential for a greater impact on the ground with this regionalized approach and work with us to bring our initiative to fruition.” The initiative, which is launching in the lead up to the 75th anniversary of ATFS, will be conducted in two phases. Phase one focuses on building an understanding of the priority wildlife habitat areas and wood supply needs by conducting an assessment of existing data and gathering input from forest industry partners, ATFS State Committees, forest landowners, state agencies, conservation partners, and brand companies. Initial input from these AFF partners suggest that one of the largest barriers to sustainable supply for forest products companies is family forest landowners who are not engaged in active land management. Further analysis on landowner attitudes, interests and barriers to sustainable forest management will also be conducted throughout the assessment. http://www.twosidesna.org/US/American-Forest-Foundation-Announces-New-Initiative-Across-13-Southern-States-Regarding-Sustainably-Managed-Wood