Armstrong Plant Gets FSC Certification

Lancaster, PA, January 28, 2008--Armstrong’s Vicksburg, Mississippi engineered hardwood facility has received Chain of Custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the first step in a process that will lead to the manufacture and sale of FSC certified products.

The Vicksburg facility, acquired by Armstrong two years ago as Capella Wood Floors, is adjacent to a hardwood forest where product is sourced, which should help keep FSC certified hardwood prices more affordable.

In addition to Capella line products, the Vicksburg facility produces Bruce Westchster Plank, a three-quarter-inch engineered hardwood that’s cheaper than solid and targets the builder market.

Armstrong is further ramping up its environmental profile by sponsoring the planting of over half a million trees through a new Hardwood Forestry Fund program. The trees, which will be planted in North America, will replace more than the number of trees Armstrong uses annually for hardwood production.

Even though Armstrong has a substantial exotic hardwood business, North American species still account for about 97% of its hardwood revenues. The firm is addressing its imported exotics business through its year old partnership with the Tropical Forest Foundation.