International Paper, Environmental Defense and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Celebrate Five-Year Anniversary of Landmark Red-co

International Paper, Environmental Defense and U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Celebrate Five-Year Anniversary of Landmark Red-cockaded
Woodpecker Habitat Conservation Plan
The award-winning program was the first of its kind to help save an endangered
species 


BAINBRIDGE, Ga., March 29  /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper and its
partners, Environmental Defense, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Georgia
Department of Natural Resources today are celebrating the five-year anniversary
of International Paper's award-winning "Red-cockaded Woodpecker Habitat
Conservation Plan." Implementation of the landmark agreement has resulted in a
dramatic increase in the red-cockaded woodpecker population at International
Paper's Southlands Forest in Bainbridge, Ga., from three male birds in two
groups or family units to 50 birds comprising 15 groups with 13 potential
breeding pairs.

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"Our red-cockaded woodpecker habitat conservation plan serves as a model for
public and private partnerships which can benefit imperiled species across the
United States," said Dr. Sharon Haines, IP's director, sustainable forestry and
forest policy. "The program's success is a tribute to the spirit of partnership
and a shared commitment to environmental responsibility."

The award-winning conservation plan, which was approved by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in 1999, was the first of its kind in which a private
landowner agreed to establish a mitigation bank and increase the number of
birds on their property. By combining regulatory flexibility, economic
incentives and cooperation between various organizations, the agreement has
been successful in protecting an endangered species through an innovative
"conservation banking" program.

"Our partnership with International Paper exemplifies how conservation and
recovery of listed species can occur when private-federal cooperators come
together for a common cause," said Ralph Costa, coordinator, red-cockaded
woodpecker recovery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "The red-cockaded
woodpecker population growth at Southlands is an outstanding success story,
exceeding the growth rates seen on most, if not all, other populations of
similar size."

Since the late 1990s, International Paper professional biologists and their
agents have translocated 40 sub-adult red-cockaded woodpeckers to its
Southlands Forest, monitored and documented on-site reproduction (38 nests, 93
nestlings), banded 79 nestlings and maintained/enhanced habitat through active
forest management. As a result of the targeted and well-managed effort, the
Southlands Forest red-cockaded woodpecker population has increased
dramatically. Presently, the IP forestry team actively manages 5,300 acres for
red-cockaded woodpeckers as compared to approximately 1,800 acres prior to the
inception of the habitat conservation plan.

"I hope that other landowners in the South will view this highly-successful
program as a model," said Robert Bonnie, managing director, Environmental
Defense for Conservation Incentives. "We hope to see similar programs developed
elsewhere."

The success of the red-cockaded woodpecker habitat conservation plan helped
International Paper win a number of major environmental awards including the
U.S. Department of Interior's Conservation Science Award, the World Environment
Council's Gold Medal for Corporate Environmental Achievement, the American
Forest and Paper Association's Wildlife Stewardship Award and a Georgia
Wildlife Partnership Award.

The red-cockaded woodpecker is a unique species in the Southeastern United
States. The cardinal-sized bird makes its home in mature pine forests. A
territorial, cooperative breeding species, the red-cockaded woodpecker is
non-migratory bird that frequently has the same mate for several years. There
is only one pair of breeding birds within each group, and they normally raise
only a single brood each year. This distinctive bird's back features black and
white horizontal stripes, but its most distinguishing feature is a black cap
and nape that encircle large white cheek patches. During breeding season, the
male has a small red streak on each side of its black cap called a cockade,
which led to the bird's name. It feeds primarily on beetles, ants,
caterpillars, wood-boring insects and spiders, as well as fruits and berries on
occasion. This species plays a vital role in the intricate web of life of the
Southern pine forests.

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(R) program. The SFI(R) 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 United States 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. 

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DATASOURCE: International Paper



CONTACT:  Rick Ouellette, International Paper, [phone], or

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Web site:  http://www.internationalpaper.com/ 

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