Managed Forestry

Do you know how much forestland the United States has lost in the last century? The answer may surprise you, because the answer is “none.” Between 1953 and 2017 alone, the amount of standing timber increased by 60 percent, with an increase of over 13 million acres of total forest area between 2007 and 2017.*

The reason for this stability is active forest management. When forested land is productive, as managed forests are, there is less pressure to develop that land for other, often less sustainable, uses.

PCA makes managed forestry a priority in its sustainability efforts and is certified to Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI) Standards, created to promote responsible forest management. PCA box plants are eligible to print the SFI^® Certified Sourcing label on all corrugated products we produce. To achieve this certification, our mills must ensure that all of our virgin wood fiber is sourced in compliance with SFI’s Fiber Sourcing Standard, and at our box plants, at least two-thirds of our raw material must originate from certified sourcing. But PCA does much better, regularly exceeding 90 percent each year.

As part of the SFI program, our wood fiber sourcing practices are regularly audited. We procure our fiber from sources that practice active management of water quality and wildlife habitats, and protection of biological diversity.

For more information on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, please click here.

*Source: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2019.