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WESTERVELT COMPANY EARNS FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) CERTIFICATION (12/05/11)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sam Hopkins
205.562.5252
[email protected]

WESTERVELT COMPANY EARNS FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) CERTIFICATION

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The November 23, 2011 award of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its nearly 500,000 acres of forests in central Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, further demonstrates The Westervelt Company's commitment to environmental sustainability. Additionally, the company has earned FSC Chain of Custody Certification, which allows it to label products manufactured at Westervelt Lumber in Moundville, Ala.

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.

"Seeking internationally-recognized certification for our forests and wood products validates our commitment to best management practices as we seek to fulfill our land stewardship mission," said Jim King, Vice President of Natural Resources. "With FSC certification, we have added another layer of affirmation that our forestry practices will responsibly meet the needs of both the present and the future."

Certified by Sustainable Forestry Initiative in 2004, the company has subsequently met or exceeded standards in annual recertification audits and, in 2009, earned SFI Chain of Custody certification for its Southern Yellow Pine wood products.

"Just as we continue to improve our processes, our customers continue to expect the best quality products that contribute to their overall bottom line," said Joe Patton, Vice President, Wood Products. "Extending our certification(s) through the supply chain ensures our forestry efforts are visible at the product level.

"We are very excited to be able to offer our customers and the marketplace FSC certified products. It shows our building materials and byproducts - chips, bark, and shavings - meet the most stringent green building criteria and customer needs," he said.

Additionally, the certification will have a positive impact on the under-construction wood pellet manufacturing facility in Aliceville, Alabama, announced by Westervelt Renewable Energy on October 25, 2011. Certified source materials are required by fuel pellet customers.

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About FSC: Established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation, FSC is a pioneer forum where the global consensus on responsible forest management convenes and through democratic process effects solutions to the pressures facing the world's forests and forest-dependent communities.

Within this forum, voices from the Global North and South, from organizations big and small, assemble to define environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management and identify the tools and resources that will effect positive, lasting change.

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