Track & Trace® Wood Supply Map

The canopy of pine forests with hardwood understory contains pine trees that are primarily grown to produce pine sawtimber. These forests also contain low-quality hardwood understory and are either manually planted to pine or naturally seeded. Hardwood growth happens naturally through root and seed propagation.

At maturity, the forest contains mostly straight, large-diameter pine trees with smaller, lower-quality hardwood trees growing underneath. When the forest is harvested, the stems of sawtimber trees are sold to sawmills that make higher-grade solid wood products like lumber. The tops and branches of sawtimber trees and the crooked hardwood trees from below cannot be made into solid wood products, but need to be removed from the forest so the next rotation of pine sawtimber can begin growing. These harvest byproducts are sold to consumers like Enviva.

Mill and industry residues are comprised of sawdust, wood shavings, and other material produced as a waste product during sawmilling and other wood processing.

*This material is out of scope of the T&T program and therefore is not verified by Preferred by Nature; This volume is sourced in line with our RSP.

The canopy of mixed pine & hardwood forests contains both pine and hardwood trees, and are typically established through natural regeneration instead of planting. This type of forest occurs on the Southern landscape less frequently than pine-only forest types and are often a result of hands-off forest management practices.

At maturity, the forest contains mostly large-diameter trees of both pine and hardwood species with smaller, lower-quality trees growing in the understory. These forests are generally harvested during a final harvest cut, where the stems of sawtimber trees are sold to sawmills to make higher-grade solid wood products like furniture and lumber. The tops and branches of sawtimber trees and the lower-quality understory trees cannot be made into solid wood products, but need to be removed from the forest so the next rotation of sawtimber can begin growing. These lower-quality products are sold to consumers like Enviva.

Pine forests contain mostly pine trees that are grown to produce pine sawtimber. These forests are usually planted and managed for increased productivity and to prevent the growth of non-pine species.

These forests are generally ‘thinned’ about halfway through their growth cycle, meaning that some trees are removed to create more room for remaining trees to grow to sawtimber size and quality. These thinned trees are sold to consumers of lower-grade wood like Enviva. When the forest reaches maturity and is harvested, the stems of sawtimber trees are sold to sawmills that make higher-grade solid wood products like lumber. The tops and branches of sawtimber trees and any poor-quality trees that cannot be made into solid wood products are sent to consumers of lower-grade wood like Enviva.

Other hardwood forests are forests in upland areas containing mostly hardwood trees that are grown to produce hardwood sawtimber, or any forest of the hardwood type that does not fit the definition of bottomland hardwood.

At maturity, these forests contain mostly large-diameter oak, poplar, and hickory hardwood sawtimber trees with smaller, lower-quality hardwood trees growing underneath. When the forest is harvested, the stems of sawtimber trees are sold to sawmills that make higher-grade solid wood products like furniture. The tops and branches of sawtimber trees and the lower-value hardwood trees from below cannot be made into solid wood products, but need to be removed from the site so the next generation of the forest can begin growing. These harvest byproducts are sold to consumers of lower-grade wood like Enviva.

Bottomland hardwood forests in lowland areas and floodplains containing mostly large-diameter oak, gum, and cypress sawtimber trees with smaller, lower-quality hardwood trees growing underneath.

When the forest is harvested, the stems of sawtimber trees are sold to sawmills that make higher-grade solid wood products like furniture. The tops and branches of sawtimber trees and the lower-quality hardwood trees from below cannot be made into solid wood products, but need to be removed from the site so the next generation of the forest can begin growing. These harvest byproducts are sold to consumer of lower-grade wood like Enviva.

The majority of bottomland hardwood forests are working lands that require active management in order to maintain forest health, but some are sensitive habitats of High Conservation Value (HCV) that should be conserved. Enviva is committed to not taking wood from HCV bottomlands. To learn about how Enviva makes bottomland hardwood forests sourcing decisions, visit our Responsible Wood Supply Program page.

* This material is out of scope of the T&T program and therefore is not verified by Preferred by Nature.
All volumes in these categories were sourced in line with our RSP.
13% is secondary and tertiary residues from sawmills & wood processing facilities
The remaining 1% is from other suppliers whose sourcing is verified through our other risk-based certification schemes.

* This material is out of scope of the T&T program and therefore is not verified by Preferred by Nature.
All volumes in these categories were sourced in line with our RSP.
2.1% is secondary and tertiary residues from sawmills & wood processing facilities.
The remaining 2.2% is from other suppliers whose sourcing is verified through our other risk-based certification schemes.

*This material is out of scope of the T&T program and therefore is not verified by Preferred by Nature.
All volumes in these categories were sourced in line with our RSP.
37.0% is secondary and tertiary residues from sawmills & wood processing facilities
The remaining <1.0% is from other suppliers whose sourcing is verified through our other risk-based certification schemes.

Map Data Source: FIA

The data displayed on the Forest Trend Map page are from the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program for the inventory time periods covering 2000 through 2019. The summary charts below the map show estimates of total forest area (in acres) and forest growing stock inventory, or the volume of live trees above 5 inches in diameter at breast height growing in the forest (in cubic feet). The forest area data were also used to fill each county on the map with varying shades of green according to the total percentage of the county area covered in forest.

FIA Program

The FIA program collects data on U.S. forest extent and conditions using field measurements gathered from a fixed set of field plots throughout the country. The program maintains one field plot site for every 6,000 acres, and 15-20 percent of the plots are revisited every year. This means that the “2018” annual inventory data, for example, might represent plot measurements collected during the 2013-2018 survey cycle. However, because inventory changes slowly, small differences in measurement years are usually insignificant.

Filling in FIA Data Gaps

Because the FIA annual inventory system was not fully implemented until recently, there are occasional years for individual states where data are missing or incomplete. For years within the time frame of this analysis (2000-2019) for which there are no FIA data available, data from the most recent adjacent year in that state are substituted. The table below shows where substitutions were made, with a “×” noting years for which concurrent inventory data are available. For years where concurrent inventory data are not available, the substitute data year that was used as proxy is listed.

T&T Data Collection

When Enviva is contacted by a supplier who is interested in setting up a contract to sell wood from a new harvest tract, we first determine whether the tract meets the Responsible Sourcing requirements. If we decide to move forward with the purchase, suppliers submit a questionnaire with data on forest and harvest characteristics. In some cases, Enviva purchases timber directly from the landowner instead of through a supplier/broker scenario. In these instances, Enviva’s foresters determine the tract characteristics and complete tract questionnaires themselves. Completed tract information for each tract is entered into the Track & Trace (T&T) database.

In 2018, Enviva embarked on the first major review and revision of its T&T program, which was implemented on January 1st, 2019. Throughout the process, we consulted our suppliers, field staff, and external experts in the revision of our T&T harvest questionnaire and data collection procedures. Specific improvements to the questionnaire include refined definitions and guidance, an option to add details for multiple forest stands, and new questions on stand establishment, regeneration, timber stocking level, and management history. We also added procedures for monitoring our tract information and checking for accuracy. We check that all questions on our questionnaire have been answered, and that we receive a map for each tract set up in our database. We also use remote sensing data to check that the location, size, and forest cover type information is correct.

Questionnaire

Explanation of fields on our questionnaire

The details we collect from the supplier include:

Definitions of fields on our questionnaire

Tract and Stand:

Establishment and Regeneration:

Forest Cover Type:

Harvest Type:

Stock:

All of these details are entered into the database, and a unique ID number is generated for the tract.

At Amory, approximately 85% of the wood is purchased from sawmills and other wood processing facilities. The 15% of the wood that is delivered from the forest comes from certified forests from one supplier, and so the T&T program is not deployed in the same way in this supply area. Instead of entering individual harvest tracts in the T&T database, Amory’s forestry team receives regular updates from the supplier on the forest type, harvest type, and age class of the forests from which the wood was sourced.

T&T Data Monitoring & Validation

Tract information that was entered into the T&T database is checked for accuracy during our desktop monitoring. We use remote sensing data to monitor harvest location, acreage, and forest cover type, and we also check for data inconsistencies. This monitoring is our first assessment of the data’s accuracy.

Enviva foresters audit a subset of the tracts in the database while the harvest is active to verify the information entered into the T&T database and ensure the logging crew has the training credentials required in our contracts. A further subset of tracts are visited upon completion of the harvest to collect additional T&T information, including an assessment of the logging crew’s adherence to soil and water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs).

The T&T procedures are subject to auditing throughout the year, as data from the T&T program provide evidence for Enviva’s third-party forestry and sustainability certifications. In addition, we worked with a third party to develop a Track & Trace Standard and built procedures for auditing our data for accuracy. Refer to our Responsible Sourcing Policy page for mid and end-of-year progress updates on this work.

T&T Data Display

The Wood Supply Map displays the tracts that supplied wood to Enviva during the reporting period as point data.

The supply map shows county boundaries for counties sourced from between 2016 and 2021. Verification of these mapped boundaries is not in scope of the T&T audit, and therefore not verified. In fact, there are some instances where small volumes are purchased outside of theses boundaries and are not visually displayed (e.g., PA). The points shown on the map show tracts from which Enviva sourced during the reporting period.

When the user hovers over a point on the map, detailed information on that harvest from the T&T database is displayed, denoted by the T&T verification status. The T&T verified data, which has been verified by our third-party auditor, Preferred by Nature,  includes the county of origin, forest type, harvest type, dominant forest age class, and tract harvest area. Supplier-declared data is not third-party verified but is supplier-declared. This includes landowner type and the estimated percentage of the total harvest volume that is sold to Enviva. Finally, we include data points that are not included in the T&T program and therefore not verified, but undergo their own verification processes, via forest certification audits for certification status, nonprofit conservation review for our restoration initiatives, and our internal BMP field audits.

Preserving Supplier Confidentiality

To maintain the privacy of Enviva’s suppliers and landowners, tract points are located in the vicinity, but not the precise location, of the harvest. The tract GPS coordinates are fuzzed for security, and then altered again randomly to within 10 miles of their original location each time they are rendered in the map tool.

FIA Data for Southeast Forest Characterization

The information presented in the infographic on the T&T introductory page regarding the southeastern United States is derived from the FIA data described above. Here, we report the estimated increase in forested area and timber inventory since Enviva opened its first mill in 2011. The FIA supply area boundary for each of Enviva’s regions is determined according to the county and state locations of tracts entered into the T&T database since 2016.

T&T Data for Summary Statistics

The T&T database provides the summary statistics displayed on the T&T introductory page and below the Wood Supply Map, including the number of tracts Enviva sourced from, states and counties where those tracts were located, average tract age, and average percentage of the total volume of wood from final harvests sent to Enviva.

The unique tract ID number that is generated when a harvest is entered into the T&T database is also recorded whenever a load of wood is delivered to a mill from that specific harvest. This enables us to keep track of how much wood each of Enviva’s mills receives from each harvest and analyze Enviva’s feedstock sources by volume. The volume-based analysis provides summary statistics displayed on the T&T introductory page and below the Wood Supply Map, including the percentage of hardwood and pine feedstocks received and the percentage of wood delivered from each origin, i.e. forest type, sawmills, and/or wood processing facilities.

In addition, our sourcing has changed such that we sometimes receive material from chip mills or other sources that are considered by Enviva to be non-typical primary suppliers. In these cases, we conduct a review process to assess what % of the mill’s previous 6-month primary volume the sourcing agreement would bring. If the proposed tonnage is less than 3% of the volume, the material may be accepted. While sourced in accordance with our RSP and a part of other verifications, this material is out of scope of the T&T program and therefore not verified. These volumes are placed under the category of “Non-T&T verified”.