We are committed to managing our privately owned timberlands using the latest science to build value and be good stewards of the soil, air, water, and wildlife for generations to come. We manage our timberlands under the guidance of the Oregon Forest Practices Act, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®, and our own deep knowledge and love of the trees. Wood is the world’s most renewable resource, and wood products are the most sustainable building material in the world. We are proud of the fact that our working forests in Oregon, North Carolina, and Virginia provide many benefits at every stage of the management cycle. Working forests protect our clean water sources, sequester carbon, release oxygen into the air, keep soil healthy, serve as habitat for wildlife, offer endless opportunities for recreation, and provide the most sustainable building material in the world.Roseburg's
CommitmentJump to a topic:
Forest Management
Working forests (noun) – Forestland carefully managed by foresters, engineers, scientists, and harvest managers to provide a steady, renewable supply of wood for daily use. Responsible stewardship is the hallmark of a working forest.
How We Manage our Forest Resources
Oregon
In Oregon, regulations like the Oregon Forest Practices Act and the Private Forest Accord require protections for water quality and endangered species habitat. These requirements are constantly being updated to reflect the most recent science. A few examples of these requirements include:
- Trees and other vegetation around streams must be undisturbed to protect water quality.
- Two standing wildlife trees and two large down trees must be retained per acre to preserve habitat for various species of wildlife.
- Every harvest site must be replanted within two years of harvest.
North Carolina & Virginia
North Carolina and Virginia have issued similar timberland guidelines called Best Management Practices (BMPs). Our timberlands in these states are SFI Certified, which means we voluntarily hold ourselves to a higher standard. In addition to requiring compliance with all BMPs, SFI has a few other objectives. Special cultural sites must be maintained and we must have programs in place for the protection of threatened and endangered species and forest of exceptional conservation value. Unlike the mountains of Oregon, most of the land base in the Roanoke Timberlands was at one time cleared for agriculture.
There are many remnants of past land use sprinkled across the property including homesites, cemeteries, abandoned railroad grades, Civil War-era fortifications, and other notable features. These are cataloged and excluded from current operations.
Sustainable Harvesting
On average, we harvest roughly 2% of our ~600,000 acres each year. At this rate, we are able to plan for the future and ensure harvest
Replanting Rates
The key to sustainable forest management is replanting. We replant on average more than six million seedlings every year.
Meet
Your Forest
Step into the world of sustainable forestry as our team introduces you to Roseburg’s working forests in the “Meet Your Forest” video series. Prepare to embark on a journey that offers an insider’s perspective on how we manage and nurture our forests, cultivating the trees that are the backbone of renewable, high-quality building materials.
The six-part series explores Roseburg’s comprehensive and sustainable forest management practices from propagation and planting to harvesting and replanting.
Working Forests
as a Climate Solution
Join Timon McPhearson from The New Yorker Brand Studio, Roseburg’s Tiffany Roddy, and Ann Bartuska, senior contributing scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, as they explore what it means to be a “working forest,” as well as the important role that these forests play in storing carbon and mitigating climate change.
Stream buffers aren’t the only way we ensure that our water is clean. Our forest engineers work hard to design roads and landings that keep excess soil from seeping into streams. Maintenance of these roads, culverts, and ditches is always ongoing. For example, we’ve been working with Oregon Department of Forestry and the Watershed Councils to replace old culverts with bridges to enhance fish passages. Roseburg also proudly partners with scientific research partners to further the body of scientific research related to forestry and environmental stewardship. We also make sure to minimize soil compaction by heavy logging equipment and leave something behind in the forest. Some amount of down woody debris is left to decay naturally on site. As the wood decays, it returns nutrients to the soil. Roseburg participates in green energy projects across the company's operations, from hybrid trucking and solar installations, to power generation at our plants using wood residuals from the manufacturing process. All in all, Roseburg produces hundreds of thousands of megawatt hours, some of which gets sold back to the grid to power homes in our communities. Since 2013, fires have impacted more than 48,000 acres of our privately owned timberland. The charts below show the fire impacts for our Oregon and Roanoke Timberlands for 2023. NORTHWESTERN CO-OP MEMBERSHIP SOUTHEASTERN CO-OP MEMBERSHIP
Stream Enhancement
Soil Conservation
Green Energy
Wildfire Impacts
Advanced Generation Tree Improvement Cooperative, South Central Coast
Advanced Tree Improvement Program, Redwood Tree Improvement CooperativeResearch Support
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Private Forest Accord
Roseburg played a key role in developing the Private Forest Accord in Oregon. Highlights include: Steam buffers, slope protections, road standards, updated requirements for aerial pesticides, and a mitigation fund to support annual fish habitat projects.Learn More
Because we grow our own timber to feed our primary processing mills, we are less vulnerable to log market fluctuations and other supply issues. Logs that enter our plywood facilities are peeled for veneer and laid up into a wide product offering of hardwood and softwood plywood panels. Our state-of-the-art sawmills use the most advanced technology to maximize the use of wood fiber in the production of lumber. Both lumber and veneer products supply our engineered wood plants in the production of LVL and I-joists. Our facilities send their residuals to our MDF plants, where we recycle and reuse over one million tons of wood residual material every year. Excess wood residuals are converted into green energy that powers some of our plants and makes the most of every tree.
Carbon Story
Summary
As a long-time timberland owner and wood products manufacturer, Roseburg remains committed to our people, the communities in which we operate, and truly sustainable forest management. That’s why we partnered with NCASI to perform a “cradle-to-gate” analysis of our greenhouse gas emissions that includes everything from planting to manufacturing to transportation.
Key Terms:
We are committed to processes that sequester carbon while minimizing any negative impact on the climate. Forests pull carbon out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in trees, shrubs, and soil. When trees are harvested to make wood products, carbon remains sequestered for the life of the product, which could be years, decades, or even centuries.Carbon Cycle
CARBON STORED IN OUR PRODUCTS Once that carbon is stored in products, most of it stays within the products for decades. Fifty years after production, 72% of the total carbon is still stored in our products. One hundred years after production, 62% of the carbon is still being kept out of the atmosphere. CARBON STORED IN OUR PRODUCTSCarbon Storage
Carbon Storage
Our carbon analysis relies on industry best practices for measuring Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. We are continuously working with industry partners to refine our measurement standards in alignment with legal and technical best practices. Standing trees aren't the only place carbon is found in the forest. Most carbon is stored in down dead wood, the soil, and the litter of the forest floor, most of which remains in the forest following harvest. OREGON TIMBERLANDS VIRGINIA/NORTH CAROLINA TIMBERLANDSCarbon Sequestration
We worked with NCASI to determine our Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions using standard methodology. DILLARD COGENERATION PLANT WEED COGENERATION PLANTCarbon Emissions
Green Energy
Wood Products
Roseburg’s vertically integrated manufacturing model ensures stable and reliable access to our high-quality wood products for clients across North America. We grow our own timber to feed our primary processing mills, allowing us to leverage internal utilization of our raw material.
MAKING THE MOST OF RAW MATERIALS OUR PRODUCT CERTIFICATIONS Environmental: Formaldehyde and VOC Emissions: Life Cycle Analysis: Material Ingredient Transparency: Declare Labels Manufacturers inventory of ingredients provided upon request
SFI, FSC, PEFC, Responsibly Sourced, ECC Certified
EPA TSCA Title VI, CAN/CSA-0160-16, ANSI A208.1, CDPH/EHLB and CARB compliant, ULEF, NAUF, NAF available, Greenguard Certified, CHPS
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) verified by UL Environment
Medford MDF - NAF Product Grouping (Arreis, Arreis Ultra, Medex, Medite II)
Medite FR
Armorite
Certified Sourcing & Chain of Custody
Roseburg was the first North American wood products manufacturer to complete Type III product-specific EPDs. We’ve just completed our second round and are proud to show our improvements.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
Have a Question?
Get in touch with our sustainability team at [email protected].