L-P Meets SFI Standards for U.S. Timberland Holdings.

L-P HAS ANNOUNCED that an accredited, third-party auditing firm has independently certified that L-P's forest management and timber procurement practices in Texas and Louisiana fully meet the standards of the Sustainable Forest Initiative. The SFI is a program designed to promote excellence in forest stewardship throughout North America. The audit covered more than 90 percent of L-P's U.S. timberland holdings.

Bureau Veritas Quality international, a global auditing firm, systematically evaluated L-P's southern forest management practices on more than 880,000 acres of timberland owned and managed by the company. The audit also included both private and public lands from which L-P purchases timber. SFI standards were used in measuring sound forestry practices, including wildlife conservation, reforestation, biological diversity and water quality.

"We're very impressed with L-P's commitment to the principles of SFI and the work they have done in thoroughly documenting their forest management and timber procurement practices," said Dr. Dorian Latham, BVQI's forest management expert, who led the audit of L-P's southern region. BVQI is now in the process of evaluating L-P's remaining U.S. regions.