Fremont Sawmill (article)

Fremont Sawmill earns auditors highest rating

News that the Collins Lakeview Forest was certified by the Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) didn’t exactly catch Paul Harlan by surprise.

Harlan, vice president of Western Lumber Operation for The Collins Company, said managing a healthy forest system not only makes sense for the environment, it makes sound business sense because it assures trees and jobs will be available for future generations.

Still, it’s good to get a stamp of approval from independent auditors. “It just confirms what we’ve been doing over the years,” he added.

Certification, which was requested by The Collins Company, comes under the strict guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The designation was the highest possible by SCS, making it a “Well-Managed Forest.”

Harlan said certification opens up new opportunities since a growing number of consumers and companies want assurances that their wood products and related bi-products are coming from healthy, well-managed forests.

“This knowledge”, he added, “bolsters the confidence consumers have in the forest product industry. And greater confidence results in a willingness to pay a higher price.”

“Certification adds greater value to products already out there on the market,” Harlan explained. “That hasn’t happened here, but it’s the type of thing that can happen.”

The Collins Company received the good news this month (April), so its certified lumber won’t be sold until summer. Chain-of-custody will assure that only certified lumber is sold as such.

FSC is comprised of representatives from the following interests: environmental institutions, forestry professionals, indigenous peoples’ organizations, community forestry groups, and forest product certification organizations from 25 countries.

Under SCS, forest management and manufacturing processes are scored in three primary program elements. These are:

• timberland resource sustainability, which is the practice of harvesting less than   what you can grow;
• forest ecosystem maintenance, which takes into account the condition of fish habitat,   wildlife habitat, diversity of plant life within the forest, etc.;
• socioeconomic benefits, which examines the role the company plays in the local   economy, how it’s perceived, and how its practices affect quality of life, along with its   economic viability.

Certification is a voluntary, market-based, approach that provides consumers and the public with an independent assessment of a forest’s operations management practice.

The 75,000-acre Collins Lakeview Forest includes 47,500 in Lake County and 27,500 in Modoc, California. The 47,500 acres is the largest block of forest land to be certified in Oregon.

A team of foresters and biologists from SCS spent eight months conducting a rigorous scientific evaluation.

Certification means The Collins Company is batting a thousand when it comes to managing their forests, both on the east and the west coasts.

“Now all three of the Collins’ forests totaling 295,000 acres in Oregon, California, and Pennsylvania are certified,” Harlan said.

The Collins Companies are comprised of Collins Pine Company, Kane Hardwood, Ostrander Resources, and Collins Products, L.L.C.

Fremont Sawmill is a division of Ostrander Resources and is located in Lakeview.

Certified exports from the Fremont Sawmill will go to the company’s existing customers. New markets, however, are being explored.

—Lance Masterson, Managing Editor
Lake County Examiner, Progress Edition
30 Apr. 1998