Domtar is proud to announce that it has been selected as the winner of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)’s Leadership in Conservation Award. Since 2007, this annual award has recognized an SFI Certified organization, a team of partners or a research- or conservation-related individual for outstanding conservation achievements and innovation.
“Domtar exemplifies the type of leadership that is helping shape the future of conservation in North American forests,” says Lauren T. Cooper, chief conservation officer at SFI. “Their dedication to conservation spans partnerships with researchers, field implementation and regional collaboration. In these ways, Domtar continues to play a key role in helping SFI bring our conservation vision to life.”
Specifically, the Leadership in Conservation Award recognizes Domtar’s:
- Deep and sustained engagement with SFI's Climate Smart Forestry Initiative
- Contributions to field-level research
- Regional leadership
- Specific conservation projects with other certified organizations related to habitat and biodiversity
“Forest certification is of significant importance to us. It supports Domtar’s commitment to operational excellence because our team’s forest management practices that take place each day are verified through government oversight and independent third parties like SFI,” says Étienne Vézina, vice president of forestry at Domtar. “That external validation helps ensure we meet certification standards and stay at the forefront of what forestry will look like tomorrow.”
SFI is an independent, globally recognized certification framework, providing Domtar’s customers with the assurance that the company adheres to rigorous responsible forest management and chain of custody standards. To be certified, SFI program participants must undergo rigorous third‑party audits conducted by accredited, independent certification bodies.
What Conservation Looks Like at Domtar
Domtar’s sustainability and conservation efforts wouldn’t be as effective without many dedicated team members working in and near the public and private forests where we source our fiber.
“Our leadership defines ambitious sustainability goals, but real impact happens in the forest, where our field teams advance climate-smart practices and protect biodiversity every day,” says Samuel Bourque, certification manager at Domtar.
Recently, we sat down with two Domtar colleagues to learn more about the work they do and how it contributes to Domtar’s Sustainability Strategy and conservation leadership.
Chuck Daniels is a long-time procurement forester at our Plymouth Mill, having joined Domtar in 2008; he also is a private landowner who grows timber. Working on both sides of the procurement process has given Chuck a unique perspective on how to balance the needs of the business with the needs of private landowners, who supply roughly 80 percent of Plymouth Mill’s raw materials.
Véronique Lemay-Désy, ing.f., is Domtar’s forestry operations superintendent for the Mistassini region in Quebec, Canada. This vast stretch of publicly owned Canadian land is a boreal forest ecosystem in which Domtar has harvesting rights. Véronique, who joined the company in 2020, focuses on meeting government regulations and certification standards like SFI to responsibly harvest trees for use in our sawmills.
To access the full Q and A with Chuck and Veronique, click here.