Woodlands

Our Woodlands department is fully committed to responsible and sustainable forest management of the lands where operations are conducted.  Our commitment to the environment encompasses the highest levels of stewardship and welcomes accountability.

Forest Planning 

The planning of a new forest begins before a stand of trees is harvested. The company’s professional foresters and technicians make a comprehensive ecological evaluation of the area in order to determine how to harvest, reforest and protect the forest lands they manage. Forest management activities must be consistent with the Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) which sets out the goals and objectives for both timber and non-timber resource management in the forests that supply timber to our mill.

• Forest Stewardship Plan documents and maps

Environmental Management

Gorman Bros. Woodlands operations on forest licence A18671 are conducted within an Environmental Management System (EMS). The goal is to have sufficient plans, inspections, training, and reporting mechanisms in place to ensure that our activities do not cause undue harm to the environment. In 2013, Gorman Bros. Lumber, in conjunction with Downie Timber and Canoe Forest Products, (the Gorman Group of Companies) were successfully registered under the SFI Standard for sustainable forest management. We developed a land-based Sustainable Forest Management Plan (SFMP) that supports our SFI certification with evaluating and reporting on an annual basis.  As part of our SFI system, we provide Best Management Practices for forest management to our log suppliers to promote forest management on lands beyond those that we manage under our licences. Gorman Bros. has also implemented the PEFC Chain of Custody.  This system is designed to track logs from sustainably managed forest through processing into finished products and market.

• Sustainable Forestry Initiative
  • GGoC SFI Certificate
• Wood Producer Information Package
• Programme Endorsement of Forest Certification
  • GGoC PEFC Certificate
• GGoC Sustainable Forest Management and Environmental Policy
• Log Procurement Policy

Accountability

The Forest Practices Board conducts random audits of forest licensees each year. Gorman Bros. Woodlands Department, when audited in 1999, received not only a clean audit, but was commended on the extra care and attention paid to non-timber values such as water, and on our efforts to involve the public in our planning processes. As well, certification/registration services are provided by professional auditors through Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP.

• Forest Practices Board Audit Report
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP