Wood is a natural and renewable resource. Wood harvested from North American forests follows some of the world’s best forest management practices which have for decades provided net forest growth. Net forest growth refers to land which is reforested once the forests have been harvested; preventing a loss of forest acreage with the result being actual forest cover in North America is increasing.

Forest covers approximately 751 million acres, roughly a third of the landmass in the US¹. 54% of the forest is publicly owned with the balance held in the hands of private landowners. Canada has 860 million acres of forest cover of which 94% is publicly owned and managed with the remaining 6% owned privately².

Log truck delivers its load to a sawmill in Oregon

While harvesting wood occurs under different types of land ownership, forest management is governed by federal and state/provincial regulations that ensure that forest resources are well protected for the future.

The North American wood products industry is a world leader in sustainable forestry practices. Forest certification involves independent, third-party assessment that companies are operating in accordance with the principles of sustainable forest management that value the socio-economic and environmental contributions of forests.

The total size of managed forests in the US and Canada under the four internationally recognized forest certification programs used in North America is 500 million acres. This represents roughly half of the world’s certified forests³.  North American forestry management practices ensure that deforestation and other threats to biodiversity do not occur⁴.

Wood is Nature’s Packaging.