Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and the State Department of Natural Resources Recognize International Paper as 'Forestry for Wildlife' Partner SAVANNAH, Ga., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper's wildlife conservation efforts earned recognition from Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and the State Department of Natural Resources when the company was named a 2004 Forestry for Wildlife Partner at a recent awards ceremony in Atlanta, Ga. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/IPLOGO ) The Forestry for Wildlife Program is a voluntary initiative which promotes blending wildlife conservation with well-managed forestry practices by companies like International Paper. Several years ago, company forest landowners joined the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) and several conservation organizations to develop this formal, comprehensive wildlife conservation partnership program. Governor Sonny Perdue officially named International Paper a 2004 Forestry for Wildlife Program (FWP) Partner in recognition of the company's outstanding contributions to Georgia's wildlife and wild places. The award acknowledges IP's excellent stewardship of swallow-tailed kites, red-cockaded woodpeckers and other wildlife within the company's nearly 1 million acres of forestland in Georgia. "We are thrilled and honored to receive this important award," said Sharon Haines, IP's director-sustainable forestry and forest policy. "International Paper's professional foresters and wildlife biologists are dedicated to wildlife conservation and to integrating conservation goals into our Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R) program." Don Dunn and Bill Wikoff of International Paper's Eulonia and Brunswick Forest Operations, respectively, accepted the Forestry for Wildlife Partner Award from Governor Perdue on behalf of IP at a ceremony in the Governor's office last week. The 2004 FWP Award marks the fourth time that International Paper has received this prestigious designation. "As more and more forestland is developed in Georgia each year, we become increasingly dependent on private forestland management practices to conserve our State's natural resources," said Governor Perdue. "To become a Forestry for Wildlife Partner, companies must consistently perform forest management activities that are beneficial to wildlife and that go above and beyond current regulatory and industry certification standards." Practices that earned FWP status for International Paper and others include: * Preparing wildlife conservation plans detailing natural resources inventories and outlining the management strategies for blending forest management with wildlife management. * Providing internal training opportunities for employees on how to blend forestland management with "wildlife friendly" practices for multiple natural resource benefits. * Incorporating wildlife management techniques into current land-use planning and forest management practices. * Providing valuable data for state research projects. * Providing public recreational opportunities on company forestlands. * Participating in partnerships with conservation organizations through programs such as Partners in Flight, the Longleaf Alliance, the Breeding Bird Atlas and the Georgia Herptofauna Atlas. * Managing riparian forests for wildlife use and water quality protection. "The number of acres added to this program has continued to increase since its inception in 1999, and as a result, the future of wildlife on more than 2.9 million acres of industrial forestlands is much brighter," said DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb. "We have set the bar very high for natural resource conservation in Georgia. These company forest landowners have responded by participating in this innovative partnership." International Paper conservation initiatives recognized under the FWP include: managing and monitoring endangered red-cockaded woodpecker habitats, managing and monitoring bald eagle and swallow-tailed kite nesting, managing isolated wetlands critical to protected reptiles and amphibians like the gopher frog, surveying and protecting plants and animals with global rankings for rarity and providing hunting and other forest recreation opportunities through private hunting clubs and state wildlife management area program participation. All of the conservation enhancement components and reporting procedures are compatible with the SFI(R) program. The SFI Standard is a voluntary forest certification approach for ensuring that high environmental quality is maintained on forest landscapes. International Paper's Forest Resources business, which is part of the company's Forest Products group, is headquartered in Savannah, Ga. The business manages the company's forestlands and wood fiber supply. IP is the largest private landowner in the U.S. The company is also the world's largest hardwood and pine tree seedling grower, producing nearly 400 million new trees each year. To date, IP professional foresters have grown more than 8 billion trees and we will soon plant the company's 7 millionth acre of forestland. Led by the Forest Resources business, IP is the first paper and forest products company in North America to formalize an agreement with NatureServe, a non-profit conservation group, to identify, protect and manage "Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value." International Paper (http://www.internationalpaper.com/) businesses include paper, packaging and forest products. As one of the largest private landowners in the world, IP professional foresters and wildlife biologists manage the woods with great care in compliance with the rigorous standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program. The SFI program is an independent certification system that ensures the perpetual planting, growing and harvesting of trees while protecting biodiversity, wildlife, plants, soil, water and air quality. In the U.S. alone, IP protects more than 1.5 million acres of unique and environmentally important habitat on its forestlands through conservation agreements and land sales to environmental groups. And, the company has a long-standing policy of using no wood from endangered forests. Headquartered in the United States, IP has operations in over 40 countries and sells its products in more than 120 nations. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020701/IPLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: International Paper CONTACT: Rick Ouellette of International Paper, +1-912-238-6399 Web site: http://www.internationalpaper.com/

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