MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verso Paper Corp. (NYSE: VRS) today announced that their participation in a groundbreaking partnership involving Time Inc., Hearst Enterprises, National Geographic Society, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), and another forest products company has led to 790,000 acres of additional forest lands being certified to the SFI Standard in Maine. The partnership was an extension of an earlier project in 2010 that led to 620,000 acres certified to the SFI Standard – bringing the total of additional lands certified to the SFI Standard over the two year period to 1.4 million acres.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” said Craig Liska, Vice President of Sustainability for Verso. “This two-year effort not only resulted in a 20% increase in the amount of certified forestland in Maine but also demonstrated the success of this new SFI group certification process in Maine which we hope will encourage more forest land owners to also seek certification. We believe that forest certification can have a substantial role in encouraging responsible forest management practices and we’re pleased to have been able to work together with SFI and an elite group of customers that share similar values in this topic.”
“Verso is very excited about the success of this latest partnership and embraces our responsibility to support healthy, viable forests as a renewable resource for generations to come,” Mr. Liska continued.
About Verso
Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Verso Paper Corp. is a leading North American producer of coated papers, including coated groundwood and coated freesheet, and specialty products. Verso's paper products are used primarily in media and marketing applications, including magazines, catalogs and commercial printing applications such as high-end advertising brochures, annual reports and direct-mail advertising. Additional information about Verso is available on the Company’s website at www.versopaper.com. References to “Verso” or the “Company” mean Verso Paper Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.
Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release, all statements that are not purely historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “estimate,” “intend,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available business, economic, financial, and other information and reflect management's current beliefs, expectations, and views with respect to future developments and their potential effects on Verso. Actual results could vary materially depending on risks and uncertainties that may affect Verso and its business. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Verso's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Verso assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement made in this press release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or actual outcomes.