November 18th 2000

By Mike Geniella
The Press Democrat
November 18, 2000

Mendocino Redwood Co., target of some local environmental activists' scorn, has become the first major timber company in the state to win independent certification of its operations as environmentally sound.

The designation by the Forest Stewardship Council, a Washington, D.C.-based organization supported by Greenpeace, California Trout, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental organizations, is the result of an independent review of the company's operations over the past two years. The designation came after a team of scientists and forestry experts spent 15 days over the past two summers inspecting the company's 232,000 acres of Mendocino County timberlands. The land was formerly owned by Louisiana-Pacific Corp.

"Mendocino Redwood Co. and its owners, the Fisher family of San Francisco, have successfully begun the process of transforming the management of these forests from traditional industrial practices to the high standards of the Forest Stewardship Council and deserve recognition," said Hank Cauley, the council's executive director.

"It's taken a lot of hard work," said Sandy Dean, company president. "We're hoping the recognition will ease some of the local concerns."

© 2000 The Press Democrat