Pacific Blue Hardwood Flooring is firmly committed to preserving the world’s forests and renewing its natural resources. Pacific Blue Hardwood Flooring consistently promotes sustainable forest practices, securing timber that is selectively harvested and inspected under government guidelines. Coupled with a stringent policy of reforestation, rational harvesting from sustainable forests assures the health and continuity of this most valuable resource.

Pacific Blue manufacturers hardwood flooring only from timber that is selectively harvested under the principles of sustainable forest management. Each tree is assessed for age and condition. Older trees, often susceptible to disease, are removed first, assuring that valuable resources are not left to waste away on the forest floor. After timber is harvested, multiple trees are replanted fostering sustainable forest practices and completing the reforestation process. In the final process of selective timber harvesting not only produces the highest quality lumber but also allows immature trees in the upper-story to benefit from increased sunlight and water. It is also important to note that the tropical climates where most of the Pacific Blue timbers are harvested provide reforestation rates that are substantially faster than in temperate climates of North America. In most cases, the species offered by Pacific Blue Hardwood grow from saplings to full growth tress in less than 15 years. By comparison, a maple tree from North America can take as much as 50 years to fully mature.

In addition to the attention to the selective harvesting process for all Pacific Blue products, the species offered in the Gold Coast Collection are harvested under the strict guidelines set forth by the local Australian Government Forestry Departments. These guidelines are among the most stringent in the entire world and are carefully, and thoroughly, documented for each species. Several of these species are also harvested according to the strict criteria and requirements set forth in The Australian Forestry Standard (AFS). The AFS is the forest management standard of the Australian Forest Certification Scheme which is owned and managed by Australian Forestry Standard Limited, a not-for-profit, public company. The AFS is used by independent, accredited, 3rd party certification bodies to certify forests in Australia. It has been used by State governments in Australia and the criteria and requirements are among the most stringent in the world.

Australian Forestry Standard Limited is one of 33 members of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) and the Australian Forest Certification Scheme is an endorsed national scheme under the PEFC along with the national schemes in European Union countries as well as Brazil, Canada, Chile and the USA. The PEFC is one of the two international forest certification schemes along with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Pacific Blue pledges to help maintain and, whenever possible, ensure the continued growth of our world’s valuable natural resources. We hope that you will do the same by always making sure that the flooring that you are purchasing is derived from environmentally conscientious growers and manufacturers.