What We're Doing

In a precedent-setting initiative to protect U.S. working forests, Apple is working to protect—and create—as much sustainable working forest as is needed to produce the paper in its product packaging¹. Apple is partnering with The Conservation Fund to permanently protect more than 36,000 acres of working forest in the eastern United States, including the Brunswick Forest in North Carolina. This initiative prevents forest fragmentation, addresses climate change, filters water for communities downstream and provides a steady supply of sustainably harvested timber to paper and pulp mills.

The 3,600-acre forest we’re protecting in North Carolina will connect to the 17,000-acre Green Swamp Preserve, improving biodiversity and connectivity for wildlife in the area. A natural resource assessment commissioned by The Conservation Fund found six rare species², including the Venus flytrap (carnivorous plant), present in the Brunswick Forest. As of February 2016, The Conservation Fund had planted 185,000 trees across 300 acres, including 40 acres of native longleaf pine and Atlantic white cedar, which provide a home for the rare Hessel’s hairstreak butterfly. The property is currently being managed as a working forest under the standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

Why This Project Matters

North Carolina illustrates a trend occurring across the country: working forests are being sold and then resold into smaller pieces—chopped up and converted to subdivisions and shopping centers, threatening to destroy wildlife habitat and community character. Safeguarding our working forests helps our environment and our economy, and improves our quality of life.

Learn More

Press Release
Places We Work: North Carolina
Maps: Overview and Zoom

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¹Based on equivalent virgin fiber production from protected forests and virgin fiber used for Apple’s product packaging.

²In terms of global and state-wide occurance.