Is The Home Depot still purchasing lauan, cedar, and redwood?
We have made substantial changes to how and where we purchase these species. Lauan: Since 1999 we have reduced our purchases of Indonesian lauan by over 70%. The minimal amounts of lauan purchases that remain in Indonesia are strategically placed with vendors that are aggressively pursuing certification, and have been engaged in third-party audits. We are working with many organizations including The Nature Conservancy, Tropical Forest Foundation, Tropical Forest Trust and World Wildlife Fund to help solve the many issues facing Indonesian forests. We believe that by staying engaged in this region we can make a more positive impact on sustainable forestry than if we turn our backs and purchases on this region. Cedar: We have moved over 90% of our cedar purchases to second- and third-growth forests in the U.S. This leaves the balance of cedar purchases being sourced from coastal British Columbia (BC). The products harvested in BC have been through the local community stakeholder review.
