The members of the Baillie Group are proud to be part of an industry and to be a manufacturer of products that contribute to a greener tomorrow! The Baillie Group is committed to sustainable forest management practices. Each of our sawmill locations has a Certified Forester® on its staff who is board certified by the Society of American Foresters.

Our forest management practice is built on selective harvesting techniques whereby only the mature trees are removed from the forest. By selecting the proper trees and employing careful considerations for any impact on soil erosion, water quality and canopy overcrowding our forest management experts leave a more productive and higher quality timber stand which allows for improved residual tree growth and forest regeneration for future generations.

We are fortunate to participate in an industry, that by nature, is involved with carbon sequestering. As trees grow, they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The oxygen is returned to the air and the carbon is retained in the tree.  As a tree begins the normal aging & decaying process it is beneficial to harvest it before the carbon is released back into the atmosphere.  The benefit is that when a tree is properly harvested at maturity it retains its captured carbon and is stored in the form of useful products such as furniture, flooring and cabinets that can be enjoyed for generations!   

In the hardwood manufacturing process we are focused on waste mitigation. In fact, there is practically no waste at all.  In the process of making lumber, any bark, chips or dust that is created is ultimately put back into use as a usable byproduct. The byproducts are used as landscaping mulch, agricultural bedding, energy pellets, or to fuel our own boilers for kiln drying.

Furthermore, a recent study from the Engineered Wood Association, (www.apawood.org), indicated that “wood products make up 47% of all industrial raw materials manufactured in the U.S., but consume only 4% of the energy required to manufacture those materials.” The same cannot be said for other popular building materials such as steel, cement or aluminum.

A beautiful aspect of hardwood forests are they are naturally sustainable. Our hardwood forests are larger today then decades ago. It is estimated that there is more than twice as much new wood growth as there is wood being removed through harvesting. And according to the U.S. Forest Service, there were 131% more hardwood trees in 2017 than in the 1950’s.  The fact that hardwood trees sprout from roots, stumps and seeds, provides continued growth and maintains the natural conditions by which humans and nature can exist in harmony.

We are proud to actively support many state and national forestry trade associations, forestry groups, colleges and universities, and forest landowner groups dedicated to the advancement of sustainable forest management. Plus we are certified by many industry groups for practicing environmentally friendly and sustainable forest management techniques.