FSC certification of Mendocino Redwood, Humboldt Redwood Douglas-fir and redwood forests enable Home Depot to offer 100% FSC-certified framing lumber at 40 stores in California's Bay Area

Kendall Sinclair

SAN JOSE, California , March 29, 2011 (press release) – More than 10 years after The Home Depot began offering FSC-certified wood products from well-managed forests, 100 percent of framing lumber sold in 40 Bay Area stores is FSC certified. This is the first time regional suppliers have been able to meet volume needed by The Home Depot stores. The switch to exclusively FSC framing lumber was made possible due to FSC certification of Douglas-fir and redwood forestlands managed by Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC) and Humboldt Redwood Company (HRC).

“We’ve been encouraging regional forestland owners to become FSC-certified for many years. Before we made this commitment we needed to ensure the supply would be there,” said Ron Jarvis, vice president at The Home Depot. “This is great for our customers, who want to do the right thing by choosing FSC-certified wood and at no additional cost,” he added.

FSC-certified forests are managed to a set of standards that are considered the highest and most environmentally responsible available to the forest products industry today.

“Few companies can match The Home Depot’s commitment to responsible forest management. And where they commit, they drive improvements on the ground in the forests,” said Corey Brinkema, President of FSC US. “We’ve always believed that where we use forests, we have a responsibility to use them well. The Home Depot is living this belief,” added Brinkema.

The Home Depot’s ongoing supply agreements with MRC and HRC enable it to offer the FSC-certified framing lumber at no additional costs to their customers.

“The opportunity to supply FSC-certified wood to The Home Depot really validates the investment we’ve made in certifying our lands to FSC’s standards,” said Mike Jani, president of HRC and chief forester of HRC and MRC. “Our analysis showed FSC would open new markets for us, but this deal goes beyond what we had hoped,” he added.

Customers who walk into any of the 40 Home Depot stores in the Bay Area can expect to find FSC-certified dimensional lumber, plywood, fencing and other common wood building products.

“The environment wins today,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. “By choosing to sell FSC-certified wood, The Home Depot is walking its talk. And California’s forests are reaping the benefits of better forest management.”

 
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,247 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. In fiscal 2010, The Home Depot had sales of $68.0 billion and earnings from continuing operations of $3.3 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Forest Stewardship Council U.S.
The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests. FSC was created in 1993 to help consumers and businesses identify products from well-managed forests. FSC sets standards by which forests are certified, offering credible verification to people who are buying wood and wood products. Because FSC is the gold standard for forest stewardship, it is the only certification system supported by the greater environmental community. 3,855 companies and 33.8 million acres of forestland are certified under FSC standards in the United States (130 million acres are FSC certified in North America). For more information visit www.fscus.org.

Humboldt Redwood Company and Medocino Redwood Company
Mendocino Redwood Company, LLC (MRC®) and Humboldt Redwood Company, LLC (HRC™) collectively consist of approximately 440,000 acres of redwood and Douglas-fir forestlands along the north coast of California. From the beginning, MRC and HRC’s stated purpose has been to demonstrate it is possible to manage productive forestlands with a high standard of environmental stewardship, and also operate a successful business. The company names were chosen to reflect the nature of the business and to pay homage to the important role of the local community associated with a timber business. For more information visit www.hrcllc.com.

Sierra Club
Since 1892, the Sierra Club has been working to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself. It is the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. And Sierra Club’s founder, John Muir, appears on the back of the California quarter. For more information visit www.sierraclub.org.

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