Domtar has successfully completed a comprehensive audit and has received certification for the Wabigoon Forest.
Bonny Skene is the Regional Manager of Public Affairs and says some of their customers have asked them to go above and beyond current standards and have the third party ‘Forestry Stewardship Council’ come in and review their sustainable forest management plans.
“They look at endangered species. They look at work with Indigenous peoples. They look at workers rights. They look at landscape management and they look at conservation. There’s a whole set of very rigorous criteria under each of those subject areas.”
Skene says it’s important to receive additional certification as they are managing a public forest and it shows the company is on the right path.
She notes they did receive some suggestions on how to improve, noting there was nothing glaring or serious but just some minor pointers.
“We always look at those carefully to say ‘What can we be doing better? What can we change? How can we implement this suggestion?’ And then the next time we’re up for audit, then that’s reflected in the outcome.”
Skene stresses the certification is “Important to a number of their customers. We take it seriously and a lot of work goes into this certification on the part of the forest land staff at Domtar and also our contractors in the bush.”
