Our SFI® Program

“Our pine comes from local sources here in New England, mostly from private landowners who own relatively small woodlots. The fiber isn’t shipped here from overseas, and the loggers who bring us our wood are required to comply with state and federal environmental and employment laws. From the mill to the logger to the landowner, it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure our region has a sustainable and renewable fiber supply. The SFI sourcing program gives us a platform and a vehicle to promote sustainable forestry while realizing a market benefit. That market benefit should help us remain in business for years to come.”

-Malcolm Milne, Compliance Coordinator, Durgin and Crowell Lumber Co., Inc.

Durgin and Crowell is one of New England's largest manufacturers of Eastern White Pine lumber. Since our founding in 1976, we have strived to improve our products and our process, adding value and improving efficiency. We try to get the most out of each log, and through innovation and years of hard work, the business has continued to grow.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®) certification adds value to our products, but we also believe in the merits of the program. Its good for our company, our industry, and our long-term wood fiber supply.

Sustainable Resource

As a company, Durgin and Crowell recognizes the importance of being able to change with the times, while not forgetting the past and the principles on which the company has succeeded. In order to stay successful for years to come, we need a sustainable wood supply. We source our wood primarily from New Hampshire and Vermont, and the majority comes from within a 50-mile radius. It's beautiful country, but like anywhere else, continual development will strain our wood fiber market, both directly and indirectly.

Most of our logs come from small, privately-owned woodlots. If those woodlots are well-managed, we should be able to purchase Eastern White Pine from the same land for generations. We believe there is ample fiber for the wood products industry in New England, if the resource is managed responsibly and sustainably. One of the foundations of the SFI® fiber sourcing program is the education of landowners regarding the benefits of sustainable forestry.

Not only can a well-managed woodlot provide generations of merchantable timber for its owner(s), but it can also serve as important wildlife habitat and add benefit to water and air quality.

Protecting the Environment

If done properly, with adequate implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), a logging job should cause minimal impact on the health of the local ecosystem. BMPs have been developed primarily to prevent soil erosion, impacts on important ecosystems like wetlands, and to prevent contamination and sedimentaion of surface water. BMPs are voluntary, and standards were developed by a committee with participation from industry, environmental and enforcement interests.

Durgin and Crowell foresters conduct regular BMP inspections of our suppliers' logging sites. We use the inspections to evaluate the overall use of BMPs by our suppliers, and to identify areas for improvement. Also, it provides an opportunity to stay connected with our suppliers, and to offer suggestions and accept feedback regarding our program.

We require each log supplier to sign a Procurement Agreement, which addresses both BMPs and illegal logging.

Follow the Law

The State of New Hampshire has various forestry-related laws, which are enforced by state forest wardens. Overall, the general consensus among enforcement officials in New Hampshire and Vermont seems to be that loggers do a better and more conscientious job than they ever have. Environmental regulations are stiffer and technology has improved, but we believe that the overall quality of work is also a product of raised standards by the industry, the public, and the government.

That said, we recognize that practices can always be better. And the behavior of a few bad actors has the potential to tarnish the image of the industry as a whole. Therefore, we will not purchase logs from suppliers who have demonstrated a continued disregard for forestry laws and industry norms. We support the efforts of enforcement officials and industry and conservation groups to raise the standard and increase the use of BMPs.

Like anywhere else, land development should continue to increase in our supply area. The more people, the greater the stress on our environment and our log supply, and the sharper the scrutiny on logging practices. Loggers and sawmills have been stewards of the land for over a hundred years, and the forest products industry continues to be critical to our regional economy.

Hopefully, with continued good work by log suppliers, and greater education of the public to the benefits of our industry, our industry will be able to help utilize and manage our region's renewable fiber resource.

NH SIC & Professional Logger Program

Durgin and Crowell is a strong supporter of the NH Professional Logger Program (PLP), both on its own and through its participation and support of the NH SFI® State Implementation Committee (SIC). PLP is the state's logger training program. PLP-trained loggers have completed a core curriculum and must take ongoing educational classes in order to remain "trained".

Durgin and Crowell purchases logs from over 150 different suppliers each year; from the small farmer who delivers half a load of logs per year, to the logging company with multiple crews who delivers hundreds of loads per year, to everyone in between. We'd prefer that each of our suppliers become PLP-trained, but, at this point, we recognize that is not realistic. Every log is important to us, and providing a market to local landowners is important to our economy.

Our goal is to have as much volume come from trained loggers as possible. To that end, we host PLP classes at our mill, and pay for our suppliers who attend. Also, we have sponsored suppliers who want to attend other classes. Logger training is important to Durgin and Crowell, and we want it to be important to our log suppliers. As we go forward, more and more of our log volume comes from trained loggers.

PLP and similar training programs serve our industry well, hopefully improving the quality of work out in the woods, and keeping loggers informed regarding law changes, professional skills and events, and fostering good working relationships between landowners, foresters, loggers and log buyers.

We encourage landowners to use the services of PLP-trained loggers and licensed foresters, a current list of such qualified professionals in NH can be found here, or by calling our offices.

Landowner Outreach & Education

Landowner outreach and education is a critical component of the SFI® fiber sourcing program. The majority of timberland in NH and Vermont is not certified under a third-party program. However, if landowners learn the long-term value of managing their land sustainably, with a written management plan developed with the assistance of a consulting forester, we hope that more landowners will decide to enroll in a certification program.

In addition to work done with the NH SIC, Durgin and Crowell attempts - through its log suppliers - to communicate the components and benefits of its SFI program to landowners. Durgin and Crowell is also a proud supporter of regional conservation and forestry organizations, some of which can be accessed through our links page.

Market Benefit

“While we’ve always considered our product as ‘green’, certification has become more and more important in the marketplace. We participate in the program not only to assist our suppliers and landowners to think about a long-term sustainable resource, but also in response to the needs and wants of our customers.”

-B. Manning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Durgin and Crowell Lumber Co., Inc.

SFI® is a well-respected and credible third-party certification program. It's not inexpensive to become certified, but it's an investment that Durgin & Crowell ownership and management thought well worth the cost. We hope that SFI® certification will not only add value to our products, but also maintain and even expand our market access.