Verso Paper is committed to using only wood fiber from sustainably managed forests, and we strive to continuously increase our use of fiber from forests that are third-party certified to credible forest certification standards, including the FSC, SFIŽ, CSA, PEFC, ATFS and Master Logger standards. We do so to assure a reliable supply of products from environmentally responsible sources and to help our customers meet their sustainability objectives.

Third-party forest certification standards verify that the growing, harvesting, and regeneration of trees is successfully integrated with the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat, plants, soil, air and water quality. The ultimate objective of these tools is to assure that forests remain healthy and productive for generations to come.

In accordance with these standards, Verso Paper will not procure fiber that is harvested:

• Illegally
• In violation of traditional or civil rights
• From forests where high conservation values are threatened by management activities
• From forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use
• From forests where genetically modified trees are planted.

Verso Paper uses approximately 4.7 million tons of wood annually. The company has systems in place to trace the source of wood fiber and market pulp used in its products. Currently, 60 percent of the fiber used in Verso Paper products comes from third-party certified forests. We report annually on our progress toward increasing this amount.