VANCOUVER - The Teal-Jones Group, a British Columbia-based forest products company, received endorsement from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) for its  sustainability practices.

The PEFC eco-label is given after a third-party auditor assessment is completed. This year, Teal-Jones was audited by Price Waterhouse Coopers for the inspection process.

The PEFC approval for Teal-Jones is the organization's Chain of Custody certificate which is intended to provide customers with the assurance the products they are purchasing comes from a chain of custody that incorporates sustainably managed resources.

"Our sustainable management practices, which are outlined in our Sustainable Forest Management Plan, are clearly working as we have maintained this certification since 2006," says VP and CFO Hanif Karmally.

In addition to this designation, Teal-Jones maintains certification under the Canadian Standards Association Sustainable Forest Management Program. 

Known for manufacturing all of the wood fibre it harvests in its own mills, Teal-Jones produces a wide-range of solid wood products from the five softwood species that grow in the B.C. coastal region. Afamily-run company that has been operating for more than 60 years, Teal-Jones employs more than 1,000 British Columbians from communities primarily on the coast.

Teal-Jones wood products include high-quality appearance and decorative products, structural lumber for housing and general construction, special sizes and grades for remanufacturing and utility and lower grade products suitable for pallets, packaging and other industrial uses