Timber Products Particleboard facility earns environmental certification

Commitment includes use of recycled material and low emission levels

LAS VEGAS (AWFS booth 1238) – The Timber Products Company particleboard plant in Medford, Ore., has achieved Environmentally Preferred Product (EPP) certification from the Composite Panel Association (CPA). The new EPP certification is available for Timber Products’ industrial particleboard, underlayment and door core products manufactured at the facility.

The CPA certifies products for the EPP program if they contain 100 percent recycled or recovered fiber content and meet industry emission standards. By using 100 percent recycled or recovered content, EPP-certified products divert millions of tons of wood waste from landfills and incinerators each year.

“Achieving EPP status with our particleboard production is another step in our environmental commitment,” said Timber Products Vice President Roger Rutan. “The tremendous demand for sustainable building products is only going to grow and this certification places our particleboard products in a strong position.”

Certification Requires Audits
To participate in the program, Timber Products follows the EPP Certification Program’s strict requirements, which include using 100 percent recycled material as a fiber source, voluntarily maintaining formaldehyde emissions below .20 parts per million and conducting quarterly fiber source audits and monthly emissions audits.

Products meeting the EPP criteria will be labeled with the program’s certification logo.
To date, just 20 panel manufacturers in the United States and Canada are certified under the EPP program, according to the CPA.

Launched in 2003, the CPA’s EPP program recognizes environmentally friendly products based on guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The CPA program is the first of its kind in the wood products industry and is available to all qualifying industry mills in North America.

The EPP certification is yet another example of Timber Products’ commitment to producing environmentally sustainable products. The company’s environmental leadership position includes managing 118,000 acres of forestland under the strict guidelines of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program and a dedication to maximize natural resources by using 100 percent of each harvested tree in the manufacturing process.

In addition, Timber Products is applying for certification in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council, and audits should be completed in fall 2007. When it receives its FSC certificate, the company will be the only hardwood plywood manufacturer that owns timberlands certified under both the SFI and FSC programs.

Timber Products recently launched its line of GreenT™ panels that use an innovative resin that meets most green building standards, including LEED® requirements and the recent California Air Resources Board formaldehyde regulations.

Contact: Gary Rubin, CMD, 503-488-4443, Email

Founded in 1918, Timber Products Company offers a wide range of diversified wood products and specializes in hardwood plywood. The company is one of the largest material suppliers to the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry. Timber Products owns nine state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across the United States, a major international division, and 118,000 acres of forestland in Northern California managed under the strict standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®) program. Timber Products was the world’s first hardwood plywood manufacturer authorized to carry the SFI label. The company also operates TP Trucking, a nationwide transportation division.