- link Copy Url - [ Share on twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=International Paper's Approach to Sustainable Forest Management https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/398431?absolute=1&via=3blnews "link to 3 B L Media's Twitter") - [ Share on linkedin ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/398431?absolute=1 "link to 3 B L Media's Linkedin") - [ Share on facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/398431?absolute=1 "link to 3 B L Media's Facebook") - [ email Share via email ](mailto:?subject=International Paper's Approach to Sustainable Forest Management&body=ESG News from International Paper https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/398431?absolute=1 "Share via email") [Environment](/CSR-News/environment-0) # International Paper's Approach to Sustainable Forest Management Nov 10, 2022 10:15 AM ET Campaign: [International Paper | HEALTHY & ABUNDANT FORESTS](/news/campaign/international-paper-healthy-abundant-forests) ![ForSite Infographic](/sites/default/files/styles/carousel_2x/public/images/Screen_Shot_2022-10-13_at_10.53.40_AM.png) [Originally published in International Paper's 2021 Sustainability Report](https://www.internationalpaper.com/reports) International Paper purchases approximately 52 million tons of virgin wood, approximately four million tons of fiber fuel and approximately five million tons of recovered fiber annually for our manufacturing. We recognize we need to leverage a broad range of tools to ensure responsible sourcing as we deliver on our Vision 2030 fiber sourcing target. **ForSite™ Mapping and Monitoring** To guide our responsible fiber procurement on uncertified forestlands, International Paper built ForSite™, a proprietary GIS-based mapping and due diligence system. The unique technology lets us assess a tract of forestland prior to harvest to identify ecological attributes — such as rare or endangered species, priority forest types, or areas of significant biodiversity or landscape connectivity. Armed with this information, we can better ensure that we maintain or enhance the forests where we are sourcing fiber. Using ForSite™ technology, we have identified more than 23 million acres where we can apply due diligence prior to harvest to ensure that the fiber we purchase A Better IP Strategy Forests Operations Solutions People Index is sourced responsibly and our actions make a positive impact on nature. Since 2020, we have made on-theground improvements to over 25,000 acres of forestland. For example, our South Carolina fiber purchasing team worked with IP fiber suppliers to create wildlife corridors — five-mile lengths of unharvested forest that connect larger forest areas together — to maintain the ecosystems that are home to white-tailed deer, wild turkey and numerous species of birds, reptiles and amphibians. Our fiber team in Rome, Georgia improved a planned harvest area to include non-harvest buffers for the protection of granite outcrops, where rare plant species are known to thrive. Since the inception of ForSite™, we have also declined to purchase fiber where we felt the sourcing risk was either too high, or could not be properly mitigated. **In 2021, we continued to expand the application of our mapping system to advance transparency, due diligence and field verification in our fiber sourcing:** - Transparent Sourcing: All uncertified roundwood we received was mapped to the forest of origin using ForSite™ **Additional Verification:** - Due diligence was performed on 987 purchases that were identified as being at risk of non-compliance with our Global Fiber Procurement policy - Over 400 second-party verification field visits occurred on tracts to document active sustainable forest management being implemented by the landowner In addition to the due diligence being performed and documented through ForSite™, which builds on a commitment to halt nature loss and transparently report results, we commit to evaluating and reporting on Nature Positive solutions in the coming years. **How Does ForSite™ work?** ForSite™ uses GIS technology in conjunction with risk-based due-diligence procedures enabling our fiber buyers to make informed decisions on individual forest tracts. Our spatial data includes an array of environmental attributes including: - Rare, threatened and endangered species - Priority forest types and landscapes - Soil types, topography and hydrology [Read more ](https://www.internationalpaper.com/docs/default-source/english/global-homepage/footer/2021-ip-sustainability-report.pdf?sfvrsn=c8038933_22) [![International Paper logo](/sites/default/files/2023-03/IP_Signature-Horz_RGB.jpg)](/profiles/international-paper-company) ### More from International Paper ###### [The Circular Life of a Cardboard Box: Understanding the Role of Recycling](/news/circular-life-cardboard-box-understanding-role-recycling) Sep 22, 2025 8:05 AM ET ###### [International Paper CSO Sophie Beckham Joins Impact Podcast to Discuss Sustainable Business Outcomes](/news/international-paper-cso-sophie-beckham-joins-impact-podcast-discuss-sustainable-business) Sep 9, 2025 9:45 AM ET ###### [Celebrate World Snake Day by Bringing Back the “Lord of the Forest”](/news/celebrate-world-snake-day-bringing-back-lord-forest) Jul 16, 2025 9:00 AM ET ###### [International Paper To Explore Building a New State-of-the-Art Sustainable Packaging Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah](/news/international-paper-explore-building-new-state-art-sustainable-packaging-facility-salt-lake) Jun 12, 2025 10:30 AM ET ###### [National Forest Week: How International Paper Helps Restore Longleaf Ecosystems ](/news/national-forest-week-how-international-paper-helps-restore-longleaf-ecosystems) Jun 9, 2025 12:15 PM ET ###### [Celebrating One of the World’s Most Biologically Rich Forests](/news/celebrating-one-worlds-most-biologically-rich-forests) May 22, 2025 1:50 PM ET ###### [International Paper Releases Inaugural TNFD Report, Advancing Global Leadership in Sustainability and Nature Transparency](/news/international-paper-releases-inaugural-tnfd-report-advancing-global-leadership-sustainability) May 21, 2025 1:50 PM ET ###### [Celebrating the Role of the Gopher Tortoises in Our Forest](/news/celebrating-role-gopher-tortoises-our-forest) May 19, 2025 12:25 PM ET