Resolute Forest becomes world’s largest forest holder

The council, co-founded in Canada by the World Wildlife Fund, works to promote environmentally appropriate and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

Resolute, based in Toronto and Montreal, owns the Fort Frances paper mill.

The company recently certified 7.9 million acres of forest lands in the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec to the FSC Boreal Standard. This certification raises the total area of Resolute-managed FSC-certified forests in North America to 25.6 million acres, an area twice the size of Nova Scotia and larger than Portugal, Hungary or South Korea.

“Becoming the world’s largest FSC holder is a major milestone in our efforts to become a positive force for sustainability within the forest products industry,” stated Richard Garneau, Resolute's president and chief executive officer. “Resolute's growing commitment to FSC complements other key sustainability initiatives, including the Company's membership in WWF’s Climate Savers Program, which helps companies set and achieve ambitious emission reduction targets, as well as membership in the landmark Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement.”

FSC is an international certification and labelling system dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.

“WWF congratulates Resolute for their FSC-certification achievement,” said Gerald Butts, president and chief executive officer of WWF-Canada. “This success, coupled with their commitment to the Climate Savers program, shows the value and importance of making conservation a business priority, and the critical role that corporations can and must play in addressing the major environmental challenges we are facing today.”

Under the WWF Climate Savers Program, Resolute has pledged to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent below 2000 levels by 2015. Resolute also made a series of other commitments as part of its Climate Savers membership, including increasing its FSC certification to 80 percent by 2015. With the latest certification, Resolute has passed the halfway point in delivering on its 80 percent commitment.

“Resolute Forest Products has long played an important role in the Ontario forest products industry. Certainly this is a tremendous milestone for Resolute and we are proud of their ongoing commitment to sustainable forest management practices,” stated Michael Gravelle, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources. “I want to personally congratulate all the employees of Resolute on this accomplishment, and I look forward to continuing our close working relationship with the Company as we strengthen the sector together.”

Resolute Forest Products previously operated as AbitibiBowater. Information about the certifications can be found at www.info.fsc.org under the name AbiBow. The most recent certification is under license code FSC C108950.

Resolute Forest Products produces newsprint, commercial printing papers, market pulp and wood products. The Company owns or operates 21 pulp and paper mills and 22 wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea. Marketing its products in more than 90 countries, Resolute has third-party certified 100 percent of its managed woodlands to sustainable forest management standards. The shares of Resolute Forest Products trade under the stock symbol RFP on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.