At East Perry Lumber Company, forest stewardship is not a result of responding to public concern. We have always cared for and respected our forests, and will continue to manage and use our forests in a wise and professional manner for generations to come. After all, we make our living from the forests and hope that our children and grandchildren can and will do the same. Therefore, we have every reason to sustain our forests and take responsibility in making sure our forests are healthy and thriving for years to come, which in the end, will benefit us all. 

To ensure this sustainability, East Perry Lumber Company has developed a code of ethics that all company personnel follow in harvesting trees.

Avoid damage to young trees. Before felling a tree, our cutters look the area over to determine which direction will cause less damage to younger trees. This is also a consideration when deciding the path log skidders will use when taking trees to the landing area.

Observe good soil conservation methods. Our workers do the least amount of land scarring as possible. We first cut trees that are farthest from the landing area eliminating unnecessary trips into the forest. We also build water bars along roads, trails and hillsides to prevent water from eroding a freshly cut area.

Keep treetops out of streams. In some states this is a law, and is a good practice everywhere. Dropping trees across streambeds damages their banks. It adds unnecessary debris in the bed and can restrict or divert the flow of water.

Clean the landing area. When a job is completed, we clean the landing area and reseed the ground. This helps control erosion, provides food for wildlife, and visually improves the appearance of the area.

Prevent damage to crops and pastures. This is just good common sense and a courtesy to a farmer by not dropping trees onto his cropland or driving our equipment through them. Damage to fields can have long term negative effects.

Conserve fences. Sometimes fences run along the edge of woods or through a stand of trees. They mark property lines and keep animals from straying. This also is good common courtesy.

People not familiar with harvesting trees to do not understand what happens to an area after it has been cut. Though it does not always look its best at first, the earth is actually quite forgiving because no serious or lasting damage was done. New growth starts to show itself almost immediately as sunlight penetrates to the ground. Within a year or two, the area will be covered with new grasses, bushes, and young trees. There will also be a noticeable increase in wildlife in the area.

Each of us uses hundreds of wood products everyday, and we want everyone to realize that we need trees to produce these products. At the same time, we also want everyone to realize there is no reason to feel guilty about using wood products or worry that the world will soon run out of trees because East Perry Lumber Company and hundreds of other forest products companies will make sure this does not happen through wise and professional forest management. We all have the same interest in mind—plentiful and healthy forests for our future.