![]() We leave forested buffers around rivers and streams to protect habitat for aquatic species. Focal species of special concern on our Pacific Northwest timberlands include the Pacific fisher, coastal marten, Oregon slender salamander, red tree vole, northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and salmon. Salamanders and other amphibians inhabit the uplands and riparian areas on our timberlands, and streams in our forests provide productive habitat for native fish species, such as salmon and trout, and aquatic amphibians. Birds of prey, such as goshawks, red-tailed hawks, bald and golden eagles, and ospreys, call our forests home, and numerous species of neotropical migratory birds return to our Pacific Northwest forests each spring to nest. ![]() host more than 250 native vertebrate species, including large mammals such as deer, elk, cougar, black bear and bobcat, as well as a tremendous diversity of birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, native fish and other aquatic species. The forests we manage in the western U.S. Since our timberlands contain a matrix of forest stand ages, along with other special areas we protect around streams and wetlands, these forests support a high level of native biodiversity. ![]() In fact, we have almost 2 million acres enrolled in formal conservation agreements in our Western Timberlands region. Through special programs administered under the federal Endangered Species Act, including Habitat Conservation Plans, Safe Harbor Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances, we are able to enroll our timberlands in conservation agreements that ensure our forests provide habitat features that support at-risk or sensitive species - and still sustainably harvest and regenerate timber. We recognize our practices affect flora and fauna that are dependent on our sustainably managed forests. Our intensive forest management includes planting seedlings produced through our world-class selection, breeding and field-testing program fertilizing the soil only where needed preventing competing vegetation from overcrowding young trees in their first few growing seasons and thinning stands during their growing cycle to support robust growth. ![]() With few exceptions, these harvest sites are replanted within two years. We also grow and harvest several other native species, including noble fir, grand fir, western red cedar, Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce, ponderosa pine, western larch, lodgepole pine and red alder. Our timberlands in the western U.S. are proof of the core tenet of sustainable forestry, as we are now planting our third generation of trees in many locations - including more than 400,000 acres of the original land our founder purchased back in 1900. In Washington and Oregon, we reforest all our harvested sites by directly planting superior and climate-adapted tree seedlings. Our timberlands in the western United States were historically dominated by Douglas-fir, the primary species we still plant and harvest today. This interaction of geology, topography, soils, biology and climate makes the region among the most productive conifer-growing areas in the world. The rugged terrain is the result of the continued uplift of mountains, and, as the mountains rise, they are subject to the erosive forces of weather, and those of streams and rivers that carry sediment and nutrients to the ocean. The volcanic peaks that make up the Cascade Mountains testify to a long history of eruptions that continue today, including the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Chains of volcanic islands collided with the North American continent to become portions of western Oregon and Washington. The geology of the region tells a compelling story. Our timberlands span from southern Oregon to the North Cascade Mountains in Washington, and they range in elevation from a few hundred feet to as high as 5,550 feet. The region's wet and mild climate, with most of the annual precipitation falling during the winter months, makes for incredible growing conditions. Today, we own approximately 2.5 million acres of highly productive forests in Oregon and Washington. Weyerhaeuser’s first timberlands were in the Pacific Northwest, dating back to when we purchased 900,000 acres of forestlands in Washington state in 1900.
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