Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 12, 1999

99-207

Contact: Sandy Howard, Public Information Manager, 360-407-6239; pager, 360-786-3136

Rayonier forestry group earns environmental recognition

OLYMPIA - Rayonier's Northwest Forest Resources Division of Hoquiam will be honored today with the state's highest environmental award.

An Environmental Excellence Award will be presented by state Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons at a chamber of commerce luncheon in Aberdeen. The event is part of Gov. Gary Locke's Capital for a Day.

Fitzsimmons said Rayonier deserves the award for its efforts to protect the environment in its operations. The forest-products company owns and manages timberlands on the Olympic Peninsula

"Rayonier has been a leader in identifying protections that need to be taken during logging operations to avoid environmental damage," Fitzsimmons said. "This includes keeping soil from eroding off logging roads and choking salmon streams."

In accepting the award, Rayonier Northwest Forest Resources Director Steve Berntsen said, "We're proud of this recognition and of the teamwork which earned this award. Working with our communities and other resource managers, we have made great strides in adopting forest management practices that enhance the protection of public resources and provide competitive financial results."

Some of Rayonier's environmental achievements include:

A road maintenance plan that will significantly reduce erosion from forest roads in some of the most-productive habitats for salmon in Southwest Washington.
Developing interpretive public-recreation areas that educate people about water quality. One area will show how a properly constructed road can reduce erosion.
Watershed analysis completed on about one-third of its lands (120,000 acres) in Washington. Watershed analysis is a voluntary, cooperative approach to developing site-specific protection for water quality and fish habitat. In Grays Harbor County, Rayonier initiated a watershed analysis in the East-West Humptulips River watershed to understand its processes and fish habitats.

The Environmental Excellence Award is issued by the Department of Ecology to individuals, companies or organizations that have exhibited a special commitment to cleaning or protecting the environment.