It was too many versions of the dictionary ago that “ecology” and “economy” were virtually right next to one another. That, however, was about the only place where the two came together.
But they’re cozying up again now via a deal between International Paper, the world’s largest paper company, and Asheville, N.C.-based Dogwood Alliance, one of the leading forest conservation organizations in the South.
The historic agreement will help advance scientifically based forestry improvements across the Southeast, one of the world’s largest paper-producing regions.
The papermaking giant and environmental group will map forests around International Paper’s mills in the region, including the huge mill just west of Rome, in a bid to identify whether any endangered or high conservation-value parcels exist.
This mapping project will be undertaken to make sure that IP is not obtaining forest products from any endangered forests, which is part and parcel to long-standing IP policy. The deal will also help target mutually agreed upon areas where conservation can be focused.
Part of the deal also calls for both the Dogwood Alliance and IP to work hand-in-hand to discourage the conversion of natural hardwood forests to pine plantations.
A decade ago International Paper’s forerunner in Floyd County, Temple-Inland Forest Products, joined hands with The Nature Conservancy to protect more than 900 acres in southwestern Floyd County near the Alabama state line.
The area, known as the Coosa Prairie, is believed to provide habitat for more than three dozen rare and endangered flowers — including the whorled sunflower which was, at one time, thought to have become extinct. Mohr’s Barbara’s buttons and Alabama warbonnets are also among the rare species of flora known to exist in the prairies.
“They are going to be investing in land conservation in the Cumberland Plateau eco-region, and Rome is right there at the foot of the Cumberland Plateau,” said Danna Smith, executive director of Dogwood Alliance. “That will be a positive impact in that community to get some high conservation value.”
Teri Shanahan, International Paper’s vice president of sustainability, said the company has a clear, built-in need to maintain healthy forests.“Our business creates the economic basis for millions of acres of land to remain as forests over long periods of time,” she said. “Engaging with our critics is an important part of our process of continuous improvement. We look forward to working with Dogwood, because it’s clear that, although we approach it from markedly different perspectives, they are as passionate about the forests as we are.”
The partnership with Dogwood Alliance bolsters a series of projects recently unveiled by International Paper.
The first is IP’s membership in the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Forest & Trade Network in North America. Additionally, IP announced a $7.5 million, five-year project with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to restore and conserve forests in the Coastal Carolinas, Cumberland Plateau and Texas/Arkansas Piney Woods regions.
IP also announced an increase in its sourcing of Forest Stewardship Council-certified fiber by more than 1.2 million tons during the past five years, and expects to triple that increase by the end of 2014. The company continues to support multiple certification standards as part of its public goal of increasing certified fiber.
“I would imagine that would include working with the landowners within the sourcing area for their mill in Rome to get them to be FSC certified,” Smith said. “IP’s leadership on FSC certification, and its recently announced commitment to fund conservation in regions that have long been a priority for us, opened the door for transitioning our formerly adversarial relationship to one of collaboration.”
Malcolm Hodges of The Nature Conservancy said that, like its predecessor Temple-Inland, IP has sold off virtually all of its formerly vast timber holdings. He said the agreement, which calls for IP to work with its timber-sourcing companies, is definitely a significant accomplishment.
The Dogwood Alliance, which was created in 1996, has been openly critical of International Paper in the past, though it has increasingly worked with industry leaders to find innovative business solutions that protect Southern forests.
Smith said the deal reached this past week with International Paper has resulted in the Memphis-based paper giant taking a step beyond some of its primary competitors including Georgia Pacific and Resolute Forest Products, formerly Bowater.
The alliance, she said, has spent much of the past decade thinking about how to transform the way the paper industry sources wood in the southern United States.
“Most of it’s privately owned now — and we have taken the approach of not trying to pursue regulation and get the government to solve our problem, but rather to work with companies to try to create the right market incentives that make doing the right thing good for business,” Smith said. “Our strategy has been to get major customers of IP on our side, and use that as a tool to help drive change. Over the years we’ve gotten big names like Staples, Office Depot, McDonald’s to develop new policies that are holding companies to a standard in the forest.”
Over time IP and Dogwood will be looking to map special areas around the Rome mill that can be targeted for conservation efforts.
Smith said over the years there has been a lot of fragmentation of natural hardwood forests.
“We’re going to try to work together to try to really protect and maintain natural hardwood stands that exist in and around the Rome mill,” Smith said.