Potlatch SFI Public Audit Summary Oct 2004 TC GM Edits fin–

Csakamot

Description

File No. 13396-01 Public Audit Summary - 2004 Surveillance Audit Potlatch Corporation - Idaho Resource Management Division Compliance to SFI 2002-2004 and ISO 14001 Overview Potlatch Corporation is an integrated forest products company headquartered in Spokane, WA. Potlatch Corporation owns forestland in Arkansas, Idaho and Minnesota, as well as a hybrid poplar farm in Oregon. The company’s manufacturing facilities include solid wood and panel mills as well as pulp, paper board and tissue mills. The focus of this report is the 670,000 acres of Potlatch fee ownership in Idaho. The Idaho Region is managed from Lewiston, ID with three Area operations offices – the St. Joe Area (St. Maries); the Palouse Area (Bovill); and the Clearwater Area (Headquarters). The three Areas are each further divided into three Resource Management Units. Logs harvested from the Idaho ownership are utilized primarily by Potlatch manufacturing facilities, but also by some 19 other customers in the region. Further information on Potlatch’s Idaho operations can be found at www.potlatchcorp.com, or by contacting Mr. Steve Smith, Idaho Region Resource Manager (208-799-1288), Mr. Mike McAllister, Idaho Region Wood Flow and Marketing Manager (208-799-1053). Questions relating to the audit should be addressed to either Mr. Gregor Macintosh, QMI Audit Team Leader (250-748-8160) or Mr. Terry Cundy, Idaho Region Environmental Management System ...

Informations

• Publié par: Chuwyir
• Nombre de lectures: 61
• Langue: English

Extrait

13799 Commerce Parkway

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Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

V6V 2N9

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Telephone: [phone]

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Fax: [phone]

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www.qmi.com

Advancing Business Excellence

File No. 13396-01

Public Audit Summary - 2004 Surveillance Audit

Potlatch Corporation - Idaho Resource Management Division

Compliance to SFI 2002-2004 and ISO 14001

Overview

Potlatch Corporation is an integrated forest products company headquartered in

Spokane, WA.

Potlatch Corporation owns forestland in Arkansas, Idaho and

Minnesota, as well as a hybrid poplar farm in Oregon.

The company’s

manufacturing facilities include solid wood and panel mills as well as pulp, paper

board and tissue mills.

The focus of this report is the 670,000 acres of Potlatch fee ownership in Idaho. The

Idaho Region is managed from Lewiston, ID with three Area operations offices –

the St. Joe Area (St. Maries); the Palouse Area (Bovill); and the Clearwater Area

(Headquarters). The three Areas are each further divided into three Resource

Management Units. Logs harvested from the Idaho ownership are utilized primarily

by Potlatch manufacturing facilities, but also by some 19 other customers in the

region.

Further information on Potlatch’s Idaho operations can be found at

www.potlatchcorp.com, or by contacting Mr. Steve Smith, Idaho Region Resource

Manager (208-799-1288), Mr. Mike McAllister, Idaho Region Wood Flow and

Marketing Manager (208-799-1053).

Questions relating to the audit should be

addressed to either Mr. Gregor Macintosh, QMI Audit Team Leader (250-748-

8160) or Mr. Terry Cundy, Idaho Region Environmental Management System

Manager (208-799-4135).

Audit Coverage

The objective of this second surveillance audit, conducted September 27-29 2004,

was to evaluate the Idaho Region’s continued compliance with the Sustainable

Forestry Initiative System (SFI 2002-2004), and their continued compliance with

the Environmental Management System standard (ISO 14001). This audit was the

second surveillance audit and covered all the Objectives, Performance Measures

and Core Indicators of the SFI 2002-2004 standard as well as the Elements of the

ISO standard. These two systems cover all forestry management activities

including, procurement activities for solid wood products operations, planning, land

management, forest renewal, harvest and delivery.

The initial SFI and ISO registration audits were conducted by the Quality

Management Institute (QMI) in August of 2002. QMI is North America's leading

management system registrar, offering registration to a wide range of ISO and

industry specific standards including SFI 2002-2004. QMI utilizes foresters,

wildlife biologists and environmental scientists to conduct audits to the SFI 2002-

2004 standard and ISO14001 Environmental Management System standards.

QMI conducted the first surveillance audit of both systems in October 2003.

The QMI Audit Team for the second surveillance audit reported herein, consisted of

Mr. Gregor Macintosh [CF/CFA, EMS(LA)] as Audit Team Leader, and Ms. Lynn

Penniman [EMS(LA)], and Mr. Jack Ward [CF, EMS(LA)] as auditors.

These team

members are all familiar with the Idaho Region operations through participation in

both the initial registration audit (2002) and the first surveillance audit (2003).

Description of Audit Process

Prior to the audit, the Audit Team reviewed Idaho Department of Lands inspection

reports supplied by Mr. Jim Colla, (IDL, Forest Practices Program Manager) for

Potlatch operations in the region.

During the on-site audit, the Audit Team conducted interviews with Potlatch Idaho

staff and reviewed documentation related to long-term harvest planning and

sustainable use of the timber resource, conservation of biological diversity and

visual aesthetics management at the Lewiston office.

Staff at the three Area offices were interviewed regarding compliance to the Idaho

Forest Practices Act regulations. The Audit Team conducted field verifications in

the St. Joe, Palouse and Clearwater Areas. The Audit Team selected a total of 23

field verification sites at random across the three operating Areas. Field verification

of SFI conformance and adherence to Idaho Forest Practices Act regulations were

assessed for the following field operations:

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Active fee, non-fee (stumpage) harvesting operations, and harvest units completed

since August 2003 were audited in all three operations Areas. Harvesting

operations consisted of final harvest, commercial thinning (1

st

and 2

nd

), loading

and hauling.

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Reforestation units (fee ownership) completed since August 2003 were also

audited in the St. Joe, Palouse, and Clearwater operations Areas.

Reforestation operations consisted of planting, site preparation (mechanical and

chemical) and rehabilitation of access structures.

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Road construction, road maintenance, and fish-passage sites were also assessed.

Summary of Audit Findings

In accordance with the audit standards used by QMI, three classes of “audit

findings” are used: Non-conformances, Opportunities for Improvement, and

Positive Aspects.

Each of these are addressed separately below.

Non-conformances

- There were no non-conformances found with respect to either

the SFI standard or the ISO 14001 standard.

Opportunities for Improvement – The Audit Team observed the following

opportunities for improvement to enhance the Idaho Region performance:

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P.M. 4.1.2.1.3: Batch chemicals at application site rather than batching elsewhere

and transporting over public highways to application sites.

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Add Foresters ™ that is being applied in the field, to the Approved Chemical List.

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P.M. 4.1.2.1.3: Establish follow-up inspections after the application of pesticides

to assess for accidental over-spray.

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P.M. 4.1.3.1.2: Reviewing the recently introduced Class II Stream Protection

Zone dimensions with Contractors.

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P.M. 4.1.4.1.1: Highlight in the post-harvest inspection form wildlife habitat plan

metrics – e.g. down woody debris; wildlife trees/acre.

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P.M. 4.1.7.1.1: Review the guidelines for damage to residual trees on Commercial

Thin and Pre-commercial Thin units.

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P.M. 4.2.1.1.4: Establish a system to verify that all in-woods foreman are Pro

Logger trained.

Positive Aspects of the SFIS - The Audit Team observed the following positive

aspects of the SFI System:

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Objective 2 (4.1.2.1.3) - The practice at Fernwood RMU of flagging isolated wet

areas prior to chemical application and requiring the pilot to buffer these prior to

application.

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Objective 5 (4.1.5.1.1) - Very good examples of visual management for each of

the nine Resource Management Units.

Note - The Idaho Region has developed an alternative methodology for ensuring

achievement of Performance Measure 4.1.5.1. The Audit team has reviewed the visual

management plans put in place for each of the nine Resource Management Units and

found that these plans constitute a more comprehensive method. The Forest

Management Plan currently under development will further satisfy the requirements of

PM 4.1.5.1 with the addition of landscape level objectives for forest cover.

Audit Recommendation

Based on the review of the company’s SFI and ISO documentation, and the field

review of forest management operations, the Audit Team finds that the

Sustainable Forestry Initiative System and Environmental Management System

of Potlatch Corporation - Idaho Region continues to be suitable and effective.

Therefore, Potlatch Corporation - Idaho Region is recommended for continued

registration to both SFI 2002-2004 and ISO 14001.