OUR STORY

LONG-TERM CONSERVATION PLAN SUPPORTS FISH & WILDLIFE IN OREGON

NOAA & U.S. Fish & Wildlife approved a 50-year conservation plan for 30,000 acres in Oregon's Clackamas and Willamette River sub-basins. The plan permits sustainable timber harvest while requiring protections such as preserving legacy features, safeguarding streams and unstable slopes, and restoring habitat elements like snags, wood piles, and large woody debris to support wildlife. 

RESTORING ANCESTRAL LANDS: PORT BLAKELY AND SQUAXIN ISLAND TRIBE

Port Blakely and the Squaxin Island Tribe reached historic agreements to return nearly 1,000 acres of ancestral timberland on the Little Skookum Inlet in Mason County. The Tribe purchased about 875 acres of working forest, and Port Blakely ceded at no cost, adjacent shoreline and 125 acres of tidelands.

EXPANDING OUR TIMBERLAND LEGACY

The U.S. estate grows with the acquisition of 13,522 acres of timberland, including the 12,000-acre Riffe Lake property, helping replace timber lost to natural disasters.

PURE NEW ZEALAND: LAUNCH OF DOUGLAS-FIR ESSENTIAL OIL

Port Blakely New Zealand Essential Oils (PBNZEO) is launched to produce Douglas-fir essential oil, bringing the fresh scent of New Zealand forests to customers in the fine fragrance, cosmetics, and aromatherapy markets.

COMMITMENT TO OUR OREGON FORESTS

Port Blakely signs an agreement with the Oregon of Department of Forestry committing to protect wildlife habitat over 30,000 acres in Clackamas County.

INVESTING IN OUR KIWI TIMBERLANDS

Acquisition of the 3,000-hectare Clutha property in the Otago region brings the New Zealand forestry portfolio to more than 30,000 hectares.

U.S. CARBON FORESTRY 

The 10,000-acre Winston Creek Carbon Project in Lewis County, Washington, is certified by the American Carbon Registry, showing how actively managed working forests can both supply sustainable timber and participate in carbon markets.

150 YEARS

The company celebrates 150 years of managing forests in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and supplying quality timber products worldwide.

NEW ZEALAND CARBON FORESTRY 

As part of the New Zealand government’s response to climate change, Port Blakely participates in the Emissions Trading Scheme by offering carbon credits for sale.

CREATING A SAFE HARBOR

Port Blakely enters into a Safe Harbor Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, committing to enhance wildlife habitat on over 45,000 acres in Lewis and Skamania counties in Washington.

EXPANDING MARKETS IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand forestry operations expand into third-party wood sales, serving both international and domestic markets.

ACQUIRES PACIFIC LUMBER & SHIPPING; PLS INTERNATIONAL

Acquisition of export log-trading firm Pacific Lumber & Shipping, later known as PLS International. The division wound down operations in 2020 due to shifts in the log export market and the global economy.

FSC® CERTIFICATION

Port Blakely's New Zealand forestlands are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), highlighting the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. This global certification ensures forests are managed in ways that are environmentally sound, socially responsible, and economically viable.

SFI® CERTIFICATION

In the U.S., Port Blakely forestlands are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), a certification we’ve maintained every year since it was first earned. It’s one way we demonstrate our commitment to responsible and sustainable forest management.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EDDY FAMILY COUNCIL 

In 1999, a task force was formed to keep current and future family owners engaged in the business and connected to one another. By 2002, this effort led to the creation of the Eddy Family Council, a forum designed to unite generations and strengthen commitment to the company. The council later became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study on family business governance.

COLLABORATING TO PROTECT SALMON

Port Blakely plays a key role in shaping Washington State’s Forests & Fish Law, a landmark agreement that brought industry and environmental partners together to safeguard salmon streams and forest habitat.

HABITAT CONSERVATION

Port Blakely enters into its first Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, covering 7,500 acres in Pacific County, Washington. The plan has since been expanded twice and now protects roughly 10,000 acres.

GOING GLOBAL

New Zealand forestry operations are launched with the acquisition of productive forestland on Matakana Island in the Bay of Plenty, establishing the company’s first presence in the region.

INSPIRING FUTURE FORESTERS

Port Blakely establishes its Environmental Education program to give elementary students in Washington and Oregon a hands-on introduction to working forests, a program that today has reached more than 100,000 students, teachers, and chaperones.

CREATING A COMMUNITY

Port Blakely’s Communities division launches with Issaquah Highlands, an innovative urban village that blends community, smart growth, and sustainability. The real estate division began winding down in 2013, and Port Blakely completed its involvement 2021.

MOLALLA TREE FARM ACQUISITION

Acquisition of forestland in Molalla, Oregon, marks an expansion of U.S. operations. The property is later named the John W. Eddy Tree Farm.

FROM MILL COMPANY TO TREE FARMS

Port Blakely changes its name from Port Blakely Mill Company to Port Blakely Tree Farms, underscoring its transition from its milling origins to a focus on forest management.

WASHINGTON STRENGTHENS FOREST PROTECTIONS

The federal Endangered Species Act is enacted. The following year, Washington passes the Forest Practices Act, creating an 11-member board to regulate logging and protect natural resources.

ACQUISITION OF PACIFIC AND GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY LANDS

7,000 acres in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties are acquired from the Saginaw Timber Company. The tract is later named the Robert B. Eddy Tree Farm.

MODERN FORESTRY PRACTICES

By the end of WWII, infrastructure and technological improvements make investing in growing forests from seedlings to harvest more feasible. The company begins acquiring more land and practicing forest management on a sustainable-yield basis.

PIONEERS IN FORESTRY RESEARCH

As part of his work improving reforestation science, James G. Eddy, a businessman and forest geneticist, establishes what is now known as the U.S. Forest Service’s Institute of Forest Genetics; laying the groundwork for scientific innovation in forestry.

END OF MILL OPERATIONS

The Eddy family closes the outdated mill to focus the company on its timber investments.

COMPANY TRANSITIONS TO EDDY FAMILY OWNERSHIP

Skinner and Eddy end their partnership and divide the assets. Brothers John, James, and Robert Eddy, along with their family, acquire the Port Blakely Mill Company and its forestlands. 

EXPANSION INTO SHIPBUILDING

Eddy and Skinner establish the Skinner & Eddy Corporation on Seattle’s Elliott Bay, where the shipyards became vital to the WWI effort, producing more vessels for the U.S. than any other American yard.

A PARTNERSHIP FORMS

Captain Renton’s heirs sell the Port Blakely Mill Company to John W. Eddy and his partner Ned Skinner.

FIRE LEVELS WORLD’S LARGEST SAWMILL

A devastating fire destroys much of the Port Blakely Mill, which at the time was the world’s largest sawmill under one roof. The company rebuilds, and operations resume at scale.

BUILDING A RAILROAD

The mill is turning out 200,000 board feet a day, the most on the West Coast. But getting enough logs is a challenge. To reach the forests to the south, the company builds the Blakely Line railroad to haul logs from Mason County to Kamilche Point on the southern Puget Sound. The logs are then towed to Blakely Harbor.

CAPTAIN RENTON

Nova Scotia sea captain William Renton builds a sawmill on Bainbridge Island's Blakely Harbor. Over the next four decades, the Port Blakely Mill Company flourishes.