Group challenges 'green' certification for Plum Creek, 1 of nation's biggest timber producers

A watchdog group is challenging the environmentally friendly "green lumber" certification for Plum Creek Timberlands, one of the nation's biggest landowners and timber producers.

The Center for Sustainable Economy, based in Lake Oswego, Oregon, filed the complaint Thursday with a nonprofit group that verifies whether timber producers follow standards for environmentally responsible logging.

The complaint covers Plum Creek logging in Oregon's Coast Range, citing 11 civil citations over the past six years for violating state logging regulations, including four limiting the size and placement of clearcuts.

It demands that the nonprofit Sustainable Forestry Initiative immediately suspend certification for Plum Creek in Oregon, and investigate the company's logging practices throughout the country.

Plum Creek, based in Seattle, didn't immediately respond to telephone calls and an email seeking comment.