Rayonier 2022 Sustainability Report: Third-Party Certifications and Forestry Regulations

Third-Party Certifications

Rayonier is dedicated to meeting the highest standards of sustainable forestry established by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™). These voluntary certification programs each consist of a rigorous and comprehensive set of environmental principles, objectives, and performance measures. Criteria under these programs are designed to review whether various standards are met, including: (1) forest management plans are associated with long-term sustainable harvest levels, (2) biological diversity is conserved, (3) appropriate measures are taken to protect water resources, (4) laws and regulations are complied with, (5) workers’ rights and employment conditions meet certain standards, and (6) the rights of Indigenous Peoples are recognized and respected.

Our 2.8 million acres of timberlands are managed to these certification standards, and our compliance is periodically evaluated through independent third-party audits. All of our harvest activities are conducted pursuant to detailed harvest plans, which specify harvesting equipment, best management practices, streamside buffers, stream crossing locations, water control, and other regulatory requirements. Our harvest plans also establish buffers around any known or identified T&E species habitats and modify activity timing as necessary to avoid disrupting certain species during their respective breeding seasons. We actively monitor our suppliers at each harvest site for compliance, and we periodically conduct internal audits of our Resource Unit processes.

We strongly oppose illegal logging and deforestation and view these activities to be in direct conflict with sustainable forest management. In the U.S. and New Zealand, illegal logging is strictly prohibited, and our compliance with relevant laws and regulations is reviewed through our third-party certification processes.

We manage our U.S. timberlands in accordance with the requirements of the SFI program, which is recognized and endorsed by the PEFC. The timberland holdings of the New Zealand subsidiary are certified under FSC and also endorsed by the PEFC. In the U.S., uncertified lands are generally held in our real estate segment, which are typically slated to be sold as rural residential properties or sold as part of our community development projects in Florida or Georgia, and are therefore not eligible for certification. In New Zealand, uncertified lands consist of more recently acquired lands that have not yet completed the certification process or properties where land tenure precludes a long-term commitment to the principles of FSC or PEFC. In both the U.S. and New Zealand, uncertified lands are still managed pursuant to the same standards as certified lands, unless their land use is changed.

These certification programs are regularly reviewed and revised as best practices continually evolve. To this end, SFI developed the 2022 SFI Forest Management Standard, and our third-party audits under this improved standard began in 2023. Among other enhancements under the new standard, SFI organizations are now required to adopt forest management activities that incorporate climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, as well as take measures to limit the susceptibility of the forests they own or manage to the impacts of wildfire.

2022 SFI Forest Management Standard
View the ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL and GOVERNANCE images above.

SEE OUR LATEST SFI AUDIT RESULTS, AND FSC AND PEFC PUBLIC REPORTS.

Forestry Regulations and Compliance

We operate under an internal Environmental Management System (EMS), pursuant to which we monitor our compliance with the third-party certification standards described earlier, as well as state-specific forest practice rules and best management practices. Employees receive training to help maintain compliance with the practices, policies, and forestry certification requirements incorporated within our EMS.

We also maintain a rigorous internal audit process to regularly assess how well we implement these standards and to evaluate ways to improve our performance. Any issues or instances of non-compliance identified through this audit process are documented and promptly followed up with remedial action. Our Senior Leadership Team has ultimate responsibility for our EMS and annually reviews our performance against forest certification standards, governmental regulations, and internal benchmarks.

To learn more, view the full Rayonier 2022 Sustainability Report.