The core of our business comes from the timber we grow on our lands. It is in our best interest to practice sustainable forestry by not only replanting what we harvest, but also by taking the utmost care in maintaining the delicate ecological balance.
As outlined by law, we are responsible in ensuring compliance with all provincial and federal acts and regulations. Third-party regulatory agencies oversee our work, performing regular audits and inspections to confirm we are consistently meeting our legal requirements. We collaborate with independent government organizations, including local, provincial and federal governments.
Our legal requirements include compliance with:
Our forest management activities conform with the standards as set out by our voluntary certifications. These internationally recognized standards are developed and enforced by external organizations, and develop parameters for protection of water, wildlife, and other environmental factors. Processes defined by these standards are audited annually by a third party to ensure we are compliant.
Some of the standards that we comply with are:
Our Timberlands Management System meets the International Standards Organization guidelines, and integrates regulation and certification expectations into our everyday practices, checklists, and standard operating procedures. We are intentional in our allowance of land access, practice keen management of riparian zones and ecosystems, and have a thorough understanding of all abiotic and biotic components of the land.
We are constantly and actively checking in with all aspects of the ecosystem, such as:
- Watershed assessments
- Wildlife monitoring
- Environmental incident reporting
- Forest health surveys
- Internal environmental audits
By partnering with other organizations, Island Timberlands is able to continuously build our knowledge base and improve our processes to minimize our impact on the environment. We collaborate with and contribute to organizations conducting research, trials, conservation and improvement initiatives. We also strive to educate others on our environmental practices, offering tours of our facilities to customers and educational institutions.
We actively engage in external partnerships with a multitude of related organizations, such as:
Island Timberlands is committed to the sustainable production of timber that meets our customers’ needs. We are committed to achieving and maintaining sustainable forest management on our timberlands using the company’s timberlands management system to manage operations including safety, environment, planning, road development, harvesting, transportation, log handling, maintenance, facilities, reforestation, and silviculture.