Swanson Group™

Environmental Position & Forestry Practices

Environmental Position

Since its founding in 1951, Swanson Group has been firmly committed to maintaining sound environmental practices. We have always believed in taking care of the land and pursuing environmentally sound operating practices. In this regard, our employees are held accountable to ensure that we comply with all laws, regulations and other regulatory requirements governing sustainable forestry, water quality, fish & wildlife habitat, pollution and waste.

Forestry Practices

Established in 1972, OFPA is Oregon's mandatory, comprehensive regulatory program, administered by the Oregon Department of Forestry, regulating activities on private and state timberlands. This program places limits on the size and quantity of regeneration harvest units, requires prompt replanting with specifications for the number of trees that must be planted, and provides protection for water and wildlife resources. Though there are marketing programs that promote good forest practices, and encourage consumers to buy their "certified" wood products, the state of Oregon was promoting the same practices 20 years before any of the current programs came into existence.

For Centuries wood has been the material of choice for builders because of its easy workability and its natural strength. Swanson Group's finished product lines are produced primarily from trees grown and harvested in Oregon under the guidelines of the OFPA. We take pride in knowing we supply our customers with building materials produced from an abundant natural resource that is renewable and sustainable.

When you live, work, and recreate in the forest you have a vested interest in the maintenance and protection of the resource. Swanson Group fully embraces this responsibility and is committed to always be a steward of the forest.

Forestry Facts

Our Forests: Nationally

• There are over 737 million acres of forests in the United States.
• 245 million, approximately 30% of the total, is set aside in National Parks and Wilderness Areas.
• 29% of our nation's forest land is owned by Federal/State/Local Governments, the other 71% by some 10 million private land owners.
• over 2.7 billion trees are planted in the United States today than 70 years ago.
• Forest Growth rates have exceeded harvest rates since the 1940's.
• With growth of approximately 113 billion board feet per year and loss to harvest and mortality from insects and disease of approximately 82.6 billion board feet per year, the growth on our nation's commercial forest land exceeds the loss by 37% each year.
• Over 90% of all homes in the United States are constructed with wood framed walls and roofs.
• Approximately 1.3 million people in the United States are directly employed in the forest industry.

Our Forests: Locally

• Of the 62 Million Acres of land in Oregon, 28 million (45%) are classified as forest land.
• There is nearly the same amount of forestland in Oregon today as four centuries ago.
• Oregon's forests are owned by state, counties and municipalities (4%), large private industrial landowners (22%), non-industrial private landowners (16%), Native American tribes (1%), federal agencies including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife (57%).
• Although the Federal Government owns 57% of Oregon's forest land, it only contributes about 7% to Oregon's annual timber harvest of approximately 3 billion board feet.
• Oregon contains a wide variety of forest types from the mixed conifer/hardwood forest of Western Oregon to the drier site ponderosa pine/lodgepole pine forests of Eastern Oregon.
• About 6.3 Million acres (23%) of Oregon's forestland is classified as "reserved," not open to timber production (39% of the federal forests in Oregon).
• "Reserved" forestland includes wilderness areas, old-growth reserve and national parks and monuments.
• In 1971, Oregon became the first state to enact a set of comprehensive laws governing the practice of forestry on all state and private land. This set of laws is commonly known as the Oregon Forest Practices Act and has been continuously modernized to recognize best practices.
• The Oregon Forest Practices Act sets standards for harvesting of trees, road construction, requires reforestation (replanting after harvest), protection of streams and other resources such as fish and wildlife habitat.
• In addition to the Oregon Forest Practices Act, Oregon has stringent land use laws governing the use of forestland, ensuring that we maintain working forests for the long term.
• Oregon leads the United States in the production of softwood lumber and Oregon's wood and paper products are sold in all 50 states and some 40 foreign countries.