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Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Staged to Respond to Growing Demand for Certified WoodDecember 17, 2003 Warm Springs, OR -- On November 1, 2003, after an extensive on-site field review conducted by a team of specialists representing the SmartWood program of the Rainforest Alliance, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs received one of the highest assessment scores ever awarded to a commercial operation. The assessment evaluated the ecological, economic and social sustainability of the Tribe's approach to forest management according to the terms of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). "This certification acknowledges both the tough choices made by the Tribe to meet multiple objectives and the high level of technical expertise demonstrated in implementing these objectives in their forest management," praised Marco Lowenstein, SmartWood's Western regional manager. With 430,000 certified acres located along the eastern slopes of Oregon's Cascade mountains, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS) and The Warm Springs Forest Products Industries are uniquely situated to meet the demand from builders, retailers and home centers for SmartWood/Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified kiln-dried Douglas fir, "hem-fir" and Ponderosa pine lumber. "This certification will allow a number of consumer initiatives to proceed, benefiting the Tribe, the forest and the regional economy," notes Lowenstein. Until the arrival of Euro-Americans in the early 19th century, indigenous tribes in the Warm Springs, Oregon area lived in harmony with nature, hunting, fishing and gathering to support their needs. In 1855 a U.S. Government treaty moved the local tribes and bands from their ancestral lands to the Warm Springs Reservation. Land management since has consisted mainly of timbering and grazing. Because nearly two-thirds of the reservation is covered in pine and mixed conifer forests, forestry and forest products have been an important environmental and socioeconomic aspect of community life. However, an economic downturn in the forest products industry over the past ten years has taken its toll on the Tribe's forestry business. The Tribe hopes that SmartWood/FSC certification will give them the market niche that is of increasing appeal to consumers concerned about the environment. "Certification of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs validates our Integrated Resource Management Plan. It balances the Tribe's economic needs with other values that are important to us, such as cultural uses of the forest, fisheries and watershed health," notes Robert Brunoe, General Manager of the Tribe's Natural Resources Department. Larry Potts, Sawmill Manager for the CTWS-owned Warm Springs Forest Products Industry, has been advocating for the Tribe's certification for the past four years. He is convinced that certification is an ideal tool for providing an operation with an internal sense of how well they are managing their forests. "It demonstrates to the public that an operation is well-managed, and it has the potential for adding value to forest products in the marketplace," says Potts. For more information, please contact Gretchen Ruethling at 646-452-1939, or Abraham Guillen at 802-434-5491. Read about how our Sustainable Forestry program is protecting wildlife and workers around the globe.
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