The SmartWood program of the Rainforest Alliance announced that it has granted both forest management and chain-of-custody certifications under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme to T & D Thompson Inc. of Laurelville, OH. The FSC forest management certification of 10,290 acres of Thompson’s land is the first of its kind in Ohio. The properties that were assessed for this certification are divided into 106 tracts, ranging in size from 5 to more than 1,000 acres, with an average of 97 acres. These are generally naturally occurring forests in the hill-and-hollow country of southern Ohio, which is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

"The Ohio Forestry Association Inc. extends genuine congratulations to Terry Thompson, president of T & D Thompson Inc., for his foresight in obtaining certification through the Forest Stewardship Council," noted Bob Romig, executive director, Ohio Forestry Association. "The certification of woodlands by Mr.Thompson represents a commitment to the principles of sustainable forestry practices. As the first FSC certified land in Ohio, Mr. Thompson’s initiative further demonstrates his role as an innovator and leader in the industry."

T & D Thompson is a family-owned and operated logging operation and wood-processing business. Terry Thompson and his brother Dave founded the company in 1974. At that time Terry and Dave were logging, cutting timber for their father’s sawmill in Laurelville, they also began to operate a pallet shop, which became very successful. Terry took over operation of the pallet shop while Dave managed the logging operations. With the increasing volume of logs produced, their father’s sawmill and their own pallet shop were not able to keep up with the production. Consequently, Dave and Terry added another sawmill. The installment of the sawmill in turn required increased log production.

By the late 1970s, in order to meet the growing demands of their wood-processing ventures, T & D Thompson began to acquire forestland with the 1977 purchase of a 40-acre tract in Vinton County, and a second 41-acre tract that was purchased in 1979. An additional 38 tracts were added in the 1980s, 65 in the 1990s and one in 2000 for the current total of 106 individual parcels.

T & D Thompson Inc. employs a full-time logging crew and one full-time forestry representative to deliver forestry services to private landowners, who also supply the sawmills with lumber. T&D is currently producing 75 to 80 MBF of lumber and dimension products per week. Approximately 80 percent of the company’s production is in red oak, white oak and yellow poplar. T&D also produces firewood from the tops pulled out of the woods.

With all the company’s forestlands covered by this certification, T&D is a fully integrated forest-to-retail operation, processing its harvest through its certified primary sawmill and dimension facilities, and then selling the products in T&D’s certified retail outlet - Hocking Hills Hardwoods. Hocking Hills was established roughly 10 years ago, and provides a wide range of high-end wood components designed for residential interiors, primarily to homeowners and contractors in the Columbus, Chillicothe and Lancaster area.

"It’s fitting that a regional industry leader like T&D Thompson should be the first forest managers in Ohio to gain FSC certification for forest management," said Dave Bubser, SmartWood northern regional manager. "Terry Thompson’s strategy of staying out in front of emerging markets while managing forests responsibly has found a good match with the FSC."

T&D currently harvests its standard timber to sell as logs, squares, dimension and lumber into both domestic and export markets, however approximately 90 percent of the company’s products are sold into domestic markets. Furniture grade lumber is sold green to brokers or directly to furniture manufacturing companies. Kiln dried furniture grade lumber is sold into both export and domestic markets. T&D’s utilization of wood which might ordinarily be discarded - top wood to sell as firewood, lesser-grade lumber to make pallets, and other products - further indicates its level of commitment to good environmental practices.

SmartWood is a program of the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization that works to protect endangered ecosystems and the people and wildlife that live in them by transforming land use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior. Established in 1989, SmartWood is the oldest, most extensive certification program in the world and is accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council. SmartWood has eight regional offices and partners with a network of non-profit conservation organizations. SmartWood is headquartered in Richmond, VT.

For more information visit www.smartwood.org.