FSC Logo Industrial Timber and Lumber’s significant landholding represents a substantial investment. We take personal responsibility for sustaining the timberlands, wildlife habitat and ecosystems in which we work, because a healthy forest and environment mean a healthy future for all of us.

Presently, ITL employs six full-time forest resource people. All six have a minimum of two-year forest products related degrees and three have four-year professional forestry degrees. Two are active members of the Society of American Foresters. ITL maintains that it is in its best interest to adhere to and practice the principles of Sustainable Forestry using Best Management Practices.

The Lacey Act Information

The Lacey Act (the “Act”) was first enacted in 1990. An Amendment to this Act was passed in May, 2008. The purpose of this new Amendment is to prevent trade in illegally harvested lumber and wood products made from such lumber.

The Act, as amended, now requires the importer of a plant product (including lumber and wood) to make a Plant Import Declaration. The declaration requires the species genus, the quantity and the value of the import, and the name of the country where the timber was harvested. Effective April 1, 2009, enforcement of the declaration requirement began.

In order to comply with the Act, please be advised that all imported plant products purchased by Industrial Timber and Lumber Company are now accompanied with an import declaration.

As the Act also applies to domestically produced plant products, as well as those imported, please be assured that Industrial Timber and Lumber Company requires all vendors to declare that the lumber has not been illegally harvested.

Industrial Timber and Lumber is using due care to ensure that it trades legally sourced wood and plant products.

Best Management Practices (BMP’s) are “scientific tools and methods designed to help forest landowners, foresters, and timber harvesters practice good management.” The BMP’s represent state of the art knowledge on how trees should be harvested for timber production, while enhancing wildlife, preserving aesthetics, ensuring future forest regeneration, and protecting soil and water quality wetlands and area of special concern. BMP’s are then used to practice Sustainable Forestry, which is a concept for managing renewable forestry resources. According to the American Forestry and Paper Association (AF & PA), Sustainable Forestry means managing forests to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is done by practicing a land stewardship ethic, which integrates the growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees for useful products with the conservation of soil, air, water quality, wildlife and fish habitats. Both ITL’s forest resource staff and ITL’s contracted harvesting and hauling contractors have completed the Sustainable Forestry Core Curriculum.

The certified wood movement also adheres to the practice of Sustainable Forestry. The difference, however, is that in order to be “certified”, there is a “certified” third party evaluator. The question then becomes who certifies the certifier? Due to the nature of the hardwood industry, there are few producers who have become “certified” and of those, a limited volume of lumber can be classified as certified. In addition to company owned timberland, ITL, as well as most hardwood companies, procures timber from private landowners. It then becomes the mission of ITL and its representatives to employ sound harvesting techniques to protect the landowner’s investment and its own reputation. ITL has third party certification through the SmartWood organization at all of its facilities. ITL’s Ridgway, Pennsylvania sawmill has been FSC certified since 2000. All harvesting from National and State forest sales in Pennsylnavia qualify as certified.

It should be also noted that the timber harvesting is not done without regulation. The states provide regulation, which require that a soil and erosion plan be available for every timber harvest. Water pollution is highly monitored and regulated by local and state environmental enforcement agencies who impose substantial penalties for non-compliance. OSHA regulations apply to both forest harvesting and lumber manufacturing. In Pennsylvania for example qualifying for Workers’ Compensation insurance requires that forestry contractors practice safety. For your information, Endeavor Lumber is located adjacent to a state stocked trout stream and ITL, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Conservancy (the Purchasing Agent for the State’s Public Gamelands) purchased approximately 10,000 acres of timberlands. ITL is harvesting the timber from this area and as can be imagined, such harvesting is highly scrutinized. Representatives from the Pennsylvania Congress have personally visited this site and acclaimed the logging practices being performed.