Ecotrust Forests Management is a certified B Corporation. B Corps are a fast-growing corporate designation that requires participating companies meet a triple bottom line: high environmental and community standards, in addition to delivering financial returns to shareholders. Learn more about B Corps here.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. As a multi-stakeholder organization, FSC applies the directive of its membership to develop forest management and chain of custody standards, deliver trademark assurance, and provide accreditation services to a global network of committed businesses, organizations, and communities. FSC certification provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment, as well as providing ongoing business value.
Ecotrust Forest Management is committed to compliance with FSC Principles and Criteria. We are an FSC-certified resource manager, enabling us to extend our certification status to each property that we manage in accordance with our management plan. For more information about our group certification program, please contact us.
ABOUT US
Management Approach
We believe that the value of a forest is not limited to its timber production, and that a forest is more than simply the sum of its trees. Our principles of forest management take into account the alternative sources of value each forest has to offer, whether in the form of carbon sequestration, water quality improvement, fish and wildlife habitat, or alternative forest products like salal (an understory shrub used in floral arrangements). We work to monetize these products, which gives us the flexibility to manage for an array of forest products and services, providing needed diversity and flexibility in today’s markets. Our aim is to provide a model of forest management that balances the financial goals of forest investors and landowners with the long-term health and vitality of the forest itself and the social needs of its surrounding community. View an abridged version of our forest management plan here.
Our strategies include:
- thinning to speed the development of older forest characteristics and to improve log quality;
- small patch cuts to simulate disturbance agents such as wind;
- enhancing species diversity and increasing the presence of under-represented but economically and ecologically valuable species such as western red cedar;
- increasing the volume of standing trees per acre to enhance carbon storage;
- improving riparian management and habitat conditions for salmon and other aquatic species; and
- fostering a forest mosaic (trees of different sizes, ages and species, as well as snags and downed logs), which creates habitat for a wide variety of species.
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In addition to our general forest management plan, we work with our clients to create detailed forest management plans for each property under management. These comprehensive plans include 100-year harvesting and management strategies that address:
- desired financial returns, cash generation, and future forest conditions;
- identification and establishment of reserves, habitat assessments, habitat improvement, and monitoring plans; and
- road, bridge, and culvert assessments.