CEO Message

A Message From Dan Fulton:

Trees define us. At Weyerhaeuser, this has been true for more than 100 years.

Today, this statement is more significant than ever before. As people around the world focus on climate change, our company has an important role to play. Trees and wood products store carbon. Our expertise in managing forests puts us in a unique position to find sustainable solutions for people and the planet. We’re prepared to answer the question: How can we maximize the carbon benefits from our trees?

Imagine this: Driving a car manufactured from lightweight carbon fiber made from lignin and powered by low-carbon biofuel made from cellulose. Living in a home built with carbon-sequestering wood products engineered to withstand high winds and earthquakes. Using biodegradable wipes and plastics made from cellulose. Wearing clothing made from cellulose-based fabric. And that’s just a start. Anything made from petroleum today could conceivably be made from renewable, wood-based fiber.

Already, through our Catchlight Energy joint venture with Chevron, we’re working to develop new sources of sustainable energy from nonfood fiber. In our own operations, we’ve steadily reduced our direct greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, down 15 percent in 2007 compared with 2000 levels. Our goal is to reduce emissions 40 percent compared with 2000 by the year 2020.

Climate change isn’t the only environmental issue we’re tackling. After analyzing the performance of our cellulose fibers mills last year, we’ve set a goal to reduce water use in those mills 20 percent by 2012, using a 2007 baseline.

And, of course, sustainable forestry practices have always been the cornerstone of our operations. We harvest only 2 percent to 3 percent of our forests each year. In the harvested areas, we planted more than 177 million seedlings in 2007.

Growing a tree is a long-term endeavor. Even in Uruguay, where we have our fastest-growing plantation forests, we won’t harvest that tree for at least 14 years. At the same time, our investors expect a better return in an increasingly shorter time period. We must deliver on that expectation. But we must also keep the long view in mind—for the health of our business and the planet. Patience, backed by science, bright people and a bold vision, will produce groundbreaking solutions.

As always, we’ll be assisted by the natural process that defines life on earth—photosynthesis. Its regenerative power is the basis of our renewable resource. Our future will combine ingenuity and discipline with innovation, sustainable forestry and unparalleled land stewardship.

I invite you to learn more about how Weyerhaeuser uses science and technology to protect the environment while creating what customers demand. On our website, you’ll find a summary of our progress toward key goals and other sustainability information. This comprehensive report on our performance against key GRI indicators starts at www.wy.com/sustainability.

Daniel S. Fulton
President and CEO Weyerhaeuser Company