Sustainability
Sustainability
SIA
Sustainability in Action
The Westervelt Company continues to implement and expand sustainable practices, beginning with our in-house nursery operation. We breed and plant seedlings with optimal growth characteristics to produce the highest-quality trees.
At our processing facilities, we utilize technologically advanced equipment and processes to minimize waste and optimize the use of resources.
Westervelt Ecological Services (WES) has developed alternative revenue streams through the restoration and conservation of sensitive ecosystems. WES is a leader in mitigation banking, which helps clients offset the impacts of development. WES recently worked with California's State and Federal Contractors Water Association, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other resource agency partners to restore 420 acres of self-sustaining tidal habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and mitigate more than 150 miles of impact along California's new high-speed rail corridor.
Westervelt Forest Resources has attracted substantial investments from the U.S. and abroad to support the sustainable stewardship of critical areas, including the Okefenokee and Florida. Our Lumber Division continues to innovate, finding new markets for wood manufacturing by-products as far away as the United Kingdom.
Together with countless national and global leaders, the Westervelt Company regards forests as an essential contributor to clean air, clean water, and healthy ecosystems. Our active stewardship increases the resiliency of the forest, helps protect resident wildlife, and reduces risks and stressors on the forest such as disease, insect infestation, and catastrophic wildfire.
Commitment
Westervelt's diverse business lines have a common goal: stewardship of natural resources for today, tomorrow, and future generations. Our commitment to sustainability is a means to that end.
Westervelt uses environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria across our divisions to guide the company's operations and monitor our performance.
We are committed to:
- Best Management Practices (BMPs) for water quality
- Prompt reforestation
- Monitoring forest health and productivity
- Identifying and protecting unique ecosystems
- Ensuring forest biodiversity
- Considering aesthetics and recreation
- Enhancing wildlife habitat
- Protecting species listed under the Endangered Species Act
Our science-based practices align with current national and local standards and are a key factor in our successful partnerships with the private sector, regulators, and government agencies.
Westervelt consistently meets and often exceeds environmental, legal, and regulatory requirements, actively seeking new practices that embody our sustainability mission. Our timber products are certified to Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifications (PEFC), and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) standards, which are designed to protect old growth forests, threatened and endangered species, and critical wildlife habitat. In addition, we are developing alternative revenue streams through the restoration and conservation of sensitive ecosystems.
The Westervelt Company is committed to the implementation and maintenance of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®), and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards.