Certificate holder: Catalyst Paper Corp. Certification Body (CB): PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP FSC CW certificate code: PWC-CW-000405 Date of CB approval: Date of risk assessment: February 2018 Address of CB: 250 Howe Street, Suite 700, , BC V6C 3S7 Certificate holder address: 3600 Lysander Lane, Richmond, BC, V7B 1C3

Districts, including countries covered with this State – Darrington-Burlington-Everett areas risk assessment*: *NB! If sources of information, justification, and/or risk levels vary for different districts, separate tables shall be made for each district.

Risk Category FSC Indicator Information Sources Used Brief justification Designation 1. Illegally Harvested 1.1 Evidence of enforcement of logging Washington State Forest Practice Rules Washington State Forest Practices Rules Wood The district of related laws in the district establish standards for forest practices such as origin may be considered timber harvest, pre-commercial thinning, road low risk in relation to construction, fertilization, and forest chemical illegal harvesting when all application the following indicators related to forest Washington State DNR Forest Practices Board The Forest Practices Board adopts forest governance are present: practice rules designed to protect public resources such as water quality and fish habitat while maintaining a viable timber industry.

Forest Practices Compliance Monitoring The Forest Practices Compliance Monitoring Program Program provides compliance audits and monitoring reports to the Forest Practices Board FSC Global to support the analysis of its rules and guidance. Registry - Low 1.2 There is evidence in the district Forest Practices Application Review System Washington has a Forest Practices Applications

demonstrating the legality of harvests and permitting system for proposed forest activities wood purchases that includes robust and which provides information for regulatory and Catalyst effective systems for granting licenses and public review and risk assessment. Assessment - harvest permits. Low 1.3 There is little or no evidence or Chatham House-managed illegal logging There are no reports of illegal logging in reporting of illegal harvesting in the district information site Washington in the Chatham House-managed of origin. Illegal Logging Portal and the Environmental Environmental Investigation Agency Trust Investigation Agency Trust database

Lacey Act The US Lacey Act makes the import and sale of illegally-produced timber illegal in its jurisdiction. 1.4 There is a low perception of corruption Transparency International 2016 CPI Report The scored 74 out of 100 and is related to the granting or issuing of ranked 18th in Transparency International’s 2016 harvesting permits and other areas of law Corruption Perceptions Index report. enforcement related to harvesting and wood trade.

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Risk Category FSC Indicator Information Sources Used Brief justification Designation 2. Wood harvested in 2.1 There is no UN Security Council ban on UN Security Council There is no UN Security Council ban on timber violation of traditional timber exports from the country concerned; exports from Washington. or civil rights 2.2 The country or district is not designated Global Policy Forum Washington is not designated as a source of The district of origin may a source of conflict timber (e.g. USAID conflict timber by Global Policy Forum or Global be considered low risk in Type 1 conflict timber) Global Witness Witness. relation to the violation of 2.3 There is no evidence of child labour or Washington State Legislature – Child Labor Washington state legislation prohibits the use of traditional, civil and violation of ILO Fundamental Principles and child labor. collective rights when all Rights at work taking place in forest areas There is no evidence of violation of ILO the following indicators in the district concerned Fundamental Principles and Rights in the district. FSC Global are present: 2.4 There are recognized and equitable Tribal Relations Forest Practices Board rules promote Registry - Low processes in place to resolve conflicts of cooperative relationships and agreements with substantial magnitude pertaining to the tribes and direct DNR Forest Practices staff Catalyst traditional rights including use rights, to consult and cooperate with affected tribes cultural interests or traditional cultural when developing and implementing many parts Assessment - identity in the district concerned of the Forest Practices program. Low

Treaty History and Interpretation There are a number of treaties with Washington tribes which provide reservation lands as well as off-reservation hunting and fishing rights 2.5 There is no evidence of violation of the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples While the US is not a signatory to ILO ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Convention 169, there is no evidence of violation Tribal Peoples taking place in the forest of indigenous peoples’ rights in the forests of areas in the district concerned. Washington.

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Risk Category FSC Indicator Information Sources Used Brief justification Designation 3. Wood harvested from 3.1 Forest management activities in the WWF WildFinder forest in which high relevant level (eco-region, sub-eco-region, BC Mainland Coastal Forests The Darrington and Burlington district of origin conservation values are local) do not threaten eco-regionally includes the BC Mainland Coastal Forests, the threatened by significant high conservation values. Puget Lowland Forests Ecoregion Puget Lowland Forests, the Central & Southern management activities Forests and the Cascade Mountains The district of origin may Central & Southern Cascades Forests Leeward Forests . The WWF Global be considered low risk in Ecoregion 200 Ecoregional assessment status is relation to threat to high Critical/Endangered for the BC Mainland Coastal conservation values if: a) Cascade Mountain Leeward Forests Forests and the Puget Lowland Forests, FSC Global indicator 3.1 is met; or b) Ecoregion Vulnerable for the Central & Southern Cascades Registry – indicator 3.2 eliminates Forests and Relatively Stable/Intact for the Unspecified (or greatly mitigates) the Cascade Mountains Leeward Forests. See the threat posed to the assessment in 3.2 regarding the system of Catalyst district of origin by non- protection in place which mitigates the risk to Assessment – compliance with 3.1. and ensures survival of high conservation values Low (based on in the district of origin. 3.2 below)

US Forest Service Ecoregions The district of origin is also in the Cascade Mixed Forest--Coniferous Forest--Alpine Meadow and Pacific Lowland Mixed Forest Provinces of the US Forest Service Ecoregions.

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund There are no Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund Biodiversity Hotspots in Washington. 3.2 A strong system of protection (effective BC Mainland Coastal Forests Ecoregion A small part of Washington state is in the BC protected areas and legislation) is in place Mainland Coastal Forests Ecoregion. It is that ensures survival of the HCVs in the estimated that approximately 40 % of this ecoregion. ecoregion remains as fully intact habitat. The Skagit Valley is a block of fully intact habitat that straddles the BC/Washington border. There are significant blocks of protected areas in the BC portion of the ecoregion. The overall risk to high FSC Global conservation values from forest management Registry – activities is therefore low for the ecoregion. Unspecified

Puget Lowland Forests Ecoregion The Puget Lowland Forests Ecoregion lies within the most densely populated area of Washington Catalyst and BC. There are no sizable blocks of intact Assessment – habitat remaining in the region. The ecoregion is Low not a significant source of wood supply and, with the extent of urbanization and agricultural development in the ecoregion it is unlikely that forest management activities pose a significant threat to high conservation values.

Page 3 of 5 Central & Southern Cascades Forests The Central & Southern Cascades Forests Ecoregion Ecoregion WWF Global 200 Ecoregional assessment status is Vulnerable as a result of fragmented landscapes where late-seral stages have been in decline, but are being addressed by a system of protection. Significant blocks of intact habitat in Washington include: • Mt. Rainier National Park • Goat Rocks Wilderness Area There are even more and larger blocks of protected intact habitat in the Oregon portion of the ecoregion. In addition, there are late-seral forest reserves in each national forest in the ecoregion protected under the President's Northwest Forest plan. The overall risk to high conservation values from forest management activities is therefore low for the ecoregion.

Cascade Mountain Leeward Forests Nearly 70% of the Cascade Mountain Leeward Ecoregion Forests Ecoregion is considered as intact habitat. There are a number of significant protected areas in the ecoregion including: • North Cascades National Park • Ross Lake National Recreation Area • Lake Chelan National Recreation Area Given the intact nature of the ecoregion and the presence of protected areas (including significant areas in neighbouring BC), forest management activities do not pose a significant threat to high conservation values in the ecoregion.

Forest Practices Habitat Conservation Plan Washington’s Forest Practices Habitat Conservation Plan seeks to provide long-term conservation of ESA covered species and support an economically viable timber industry.

World Bank Rule of Law Indicator The United States had a rank of 92nd percentile in the World Bank Rule of Law Indicator for 2016.

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Risk Category FSC Indicator Information Sources Used Brief justification Designation 4. Wood harvested from 4.1 There is no net loss AND no significant See the justification in 3.2 regarding the Puget areas being converted rate of loss (> 0.5% per year) of natural Lowland Forests Ecoregion which is the only from forests and other forests and other naturally wooded area of unspecified risk for conversion in wooded ecosystems to ecosystems such as savannahs taking Washington. plantations or non- place in the eco-region in question. forest uses The district Future of Washington Forests Washington DNR and the University of of origin may be Washington completed a project to look at the considered low risk in future of the state’s forests to help shape forest relation to conversion of policy. forest to plantations or non-forest uses when the Eastern Washington harvests are likely to FSC Global following indicator is decline, especially on non-industrial private and Registry – present: tribal lands, while standing timber volume also Unspecified declines due to insect and fire mortality. Because harvest, combined with natural Catalyst mortality, is expected to continue to be less than Assessment – growth in western Washington, overall standing Low volume of Washington’s forests will increase over time

Forest Land Conversion in Washington State According to Washington DNR, timberland (excluding national forest land) in western Washington declined at an average rate of 0.37 percent per year from 1978 to 2001. Data for forest land in eastern Washington shows timberland declining at an average rate of 0.35 percent per year from 1980 to 2002. 5. Wood from forests in a) There is no commercial use of FAO Preliminary review of biotechnology in There is no commercial use of genetically which genetically genetically modified trees of the species forestry, including genetic modification modified trees in Washington. modified trees are concerned taking place in the country or 1. Synthesis: a snapshot of the global status FSC Global planted The district of district concerned and trends in forest biotechnology Registry - Low origin may be considered b) Licenses are required for commercial low risk in relation to use of genetically modified trees and there Centralized National Risk Assessment for The There is no commercial use of GMO (tree) Catalyst wood from genetically are no licenses for commercial use United States of America species in the area under assessment, Assessment - modified trees when one c) It is forbidden to use genetically modified FSC-CNRA-USA V1-0 EN Low of the following indicators trees commercially in the country is complied with: concerned

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