RYAM products start as trees in the forest. We understand forests serve as vital wildlife habitat, enhance water quality, and provide places for people to enjoy the outdoors. We invest today to ensure that forests thrive into the future by harvesting trees that were planted a generation ago and cultivate today’s forests for future generations. The Company subscribes to internationally recognized forestry standards with third-party verification across our operations.
Our operations conform to applicable Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) standards and Best Management Practices (BMPs). In addition, we obtain wood for our mills from responsibly managed sources and partner with our wood suppliers to promote responsible forest management. The Company conforms to the FSC® Chain of Custody Requirements for Sourcing FSC® Controlled Wood and to the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) Chain of Custody. Our Fernandina facility also achieved International Sustainability & Carbon Certification in 2021—ISCC Plus—allowing our customers another avenue to drive sustainability.
Responsible Fiber Procurement
UNITED STATES: Our manufacturing plants consume more than 4 million tons of wood chips each year, providing a market for more than 1 million acres of working forests, most of which are privately owned. Through FSC® chain of custody certification, we track procured chips and logs by region and work with suppliers to ensure their activities comply with best management practices. Landowners commonly work with the American Tree Farm System® program and Sustainable Forestry Initiative™ to demonstrate responsible forestry practices. Our Fernandina Beach, Florida facility was certified by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) system for utilizing a waste fiber stream that offsets additional roundwood consumption. ISCC is a globally applicable sustainability certification system and covers all sustainable feedstocks, including agricultural and forestry biomass, circular and bio-based materials, and renewables.
CANADA: Most of the fiber sourced in Canada comes from forestlands owned by provincial governments and is sustainably managed to FSC and PEFC standards. Rigorous forest management plans and allowable cut guidelines are adhered to in harvesting trees from these forests as well as from private lands. All forests are audited regularly. RYAM’s Temiscaming site uses residual chips, a byproduct of the lumber milling process, to fill the entirety of its wood fiber needs for our HPC business. These residual chips are procured through purchase and sale contracts with regional lumber facilities.
FRANCE: In southwestern France, we source fiber from predominantly private lands in a region with a long history of cultivation and sustainable forest management. France was among the first countries to create voluntary forest management standards. Landowners work through management cooperatives established by the state, many of which adhere to the PEFC™ France forestry standards. While forestry management rules are comprehensive in France, we also work closely with local organizations and landowners to preserve the historic nature of the region.