Responsible Stewardship

Environmental

Environmental Highlights

Rayonier is committed to responsible environmental stewardship. We take careful measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of our forest ecosystems, as well as the wildlife, soils, and water within them. We recognize our responsibility to look after our land for both current and future generations, as the company’s long-term success ultimately depends on the environmental and economic sustainability of our forests.

See our Sustainable Forestry Policy.

2022 Sustainability Reporting

Sustainable Forest Management Soil Quality Third-Party Forest Certifications and Forest Regulations Carbon Footprint Greenhouse Gas Emissions Carbon Storage in Forest Products Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities Biodiversity Threatened and Endangered Species Water Quality and Quantity Land-Based Solutions Real Estate

14.6M

Metric Tons of Carbon Sequestered

290,000

Metric Tons of Carbon Emitted

(scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions)

38.3M

Seedlings

Planted yearly

of Total Acreage Sustainably Harvested

1st

CCS and Solar Leases Executed

Water Use Management

New nursery systems increases water use efficiency

All metrics reflect the reporting period as published in the current Sustainability Report.

Improving Our Footprint

Rayonier grows and manages an abundant renewable resource that provides many benefits to society, including carbon sequestration. In order to quantify the impacts that our global operations have on the environment, we conduct an annual analysis of the carbon sequestration and emissions across our forestry operations and corporate activities. This analysis demonstrates that our working forests provide a natural climate change solution, in that we sequester substantially more carbon than we emit.

For a complete analysis of our carbon footprint in the U.S. and New Zealand, see our Carbon Report

Our Biodiversity Goals

Our forests are healthy and diverse ecosystems that we manage with a long-term mindset. We recognize the importance of maintaining biodiversity both for the health of our forests and the broader ecosystems in which they exist. We are committed to protecting and closely monitoring biodiversity across our timberlands as we manage our working forests.

Visit our biodiversity website to learn more about the critical role biodiversity plays in the health of our forests.

Climate Smart Forestry Principles

Climate change is affecting forest ecosystems worldwide, causing shifts in the distribution, abundance, productivity, and health of trees. Rayonier’s commitment to sustainable forest management requires that we understand both the physical and transition risks posed by climate change to our business, the ecosystems we manage, and society in general.

We believe that traditional forest management practices will need to adapt to the climate conditions that will exist in the future as we strive to maintain productive, healthy, and sustainable forests. By implementing climate smart forestry—strategies and practices designed to manage climate change risks—we expect that Rayonier will be better positioned to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the coming decades.

To see how climate smart forestry addresses risks and opportunities, see our Climate Change Impact Report

Sustainability

Climate Smart Forestry: Is Forest Management a Climate and Carbon Solution?

Climate smart forestry practices amplify the protective role the forest plays in the environment, providing a natural solution to combat climate change. Learn what climate smart forestry is about and see some of the climate smart strategies Rayonier is implementing across its ownership. Rayonier has been in the sustainable forestry business for almost 100 years—that’s...

How Forestry Companies Prove They’re Sustainable

Get a rare, behind-the-scenes look at a sustainable forestry certification audit with third-party auditor Richard Boitnott, who has been doing Sustainable Forestry Initiative® audits for 22 years. LAKE CITY, Florida—When asked whether sustainable forestry certification makes a difference, Richard Boitnott can recall more than 20 years of providing feedback through audits that resulted in companies...

Florida company gives multiple lives to logging “leftovers”

The logging company owners use leftover pine shavings in more ways than one to provide a circular business model that benefits their bottom line, the horse community and the earth. It’s always fascinating to learn about the unique ways our contractors use Rayonier pine trees. Who would have thought trees made their way into cell...

What is Sustainable Forestry?

We take a detailed look at what “sustainable forestry” means, the standards that have to be met in order to be considered sustainable in forestry, and the impact of sustainable forestry practices on the environment. There’s no doubt that forests are one of the most important resources on earth. But can working forests–where trees are...

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Download our sustainability report Download our carbon report

Sustainability Report 2022

CDP Climate Change 2023

CDP Forests 2023