Overview

A closer look at today's forestry, environment and market sectors in the wood industry.



Ontario has four main forest cover types:

Deciduous forest – mostly north of Lake Erie – witch adds many species commonly found in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas.

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest – the second largest forest region – with a wide range of coniferous and deciduous tree and shrub species.

Boreal forest – the largest forest region in Ontario, which consists predominantly of black and white spruce, jack pine, balsam fir, tamarack and eastern white cedar, as well as poplars and white birch.

Hudson Bay Lowlands – subarctic barrens with black and white spruce and willow trees.

The forests fill many roles (see link Environment and Markets). They are valuable resource and deserve careful management.
“Careful management” doesn’t mean just leaving all the forests in their current state, though. It means undertaking detailed planning studies, including those required under Ontario’s Crown Forest Sustainability Act, and then following the resulting recommendations for proactive silviculture, protected areas, operations and management.

Silviculture is the art and science used to grow healthy trees in stands, forests and landscapes. It is built on Knowledge of how forests have been shaped by the environment over the thousands of years, in both nurturing and destructive ways. It examines the natural cycles of growth, aging add rebirth of forests, the influence of climate, pests, and fire, and the impacts of different methods of harvesting and management.

Modern forest management combines the best silviculture practices to protect trees from many threats, to maintain diverse uses, respect ecological concerns such as biodiversity, wildlife habitat and water quality, and to allow access to and harvesting of trees for a variety of wood products.

To today’s foresters, who study the constant cycles in the forest ecosystem, appropriate harvesting of trees with a properly managed forest is not the end of the forest, but an important part of its renewal.

 

For futher readings please visit the links below.

Canadian Institute of Forestry

Ontario Forestry Association (OFA)

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)

Ontario Professional Foresters Association (OPFA)

Canada’s Forests are an important environmental resource, contributing to water quality, air quality, soil stability, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity. They also are affected by – and they affect – climate change.

The Province of Ontario contains more than 70 million hectares of forested land. Ninety percent of this area is owned by the provincial government: It is referred to as ‘Crown forest’. About 26 million hectares of this Crown forest is managed for a broad range of uses and benefits.

Ensuring the long-term health of forest ecosystems is the primary objective of forest management on Crown land in Ontario. Through the Ministry of Natural Resource’s forest management planning process, forest managers ensure that the forests of Ontario will remain healthy in the future to provide sustainable benefits such as timber and commercial products, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities for the people of Ontario, as well as global environmental benefits.

Ontario was the first province in Canada to subject its forest management planning process to a comprehensive, in-depth Environmental Assessment. Board hearings covered concerns raised by aboriginal peoples, forest interest groups and the public. Its decision in 1994 approved the planning process, but added new conditions for impacts on non-timber resources, managing for water, wildlife, aesthetic and cultural values, and involvement of local communities. This place Ontario forest managers at the leading edge of sustainable forest management. An updated environment approval in 2003 has continued this evolution.

Management of Crown forests in Ontario is the responsibility of the provincial government, but this responsibility is shared with forest products companies and communities. There is a significant role for the citizens of Ontario, including local communities, first nations and environmental groups, to participate in the planning process. Their involvement helps to balance the social, economic and environmental objectives of the management of the Crown forest. Monitoring programs keep tabs on compliance with the forest management plans, effectiveness of silviculture renewal, and forest health.

Independent forest audits also provide a third-party assessment of compliance with legal requirement, comparison of planned versus actual forest management activities, identification of how well activities are achieving audit criteria and management objectives and, where applicable, assessment of the licensee’s compliance with the terms and conditions of a sustainable forest license.

For futher readings please visit the links below.

American Forest and Paper Association


Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR)


Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC)


Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE)

Ontario’s wide variety of coniferous and deciduous trees support a healthy forest-products industry.

Forests have always had a central role in the cultural, economic and social development of the province. Ontario’s First Nations depended on the forest for their food, shelter and clothing as well as for their spiritual needs. When the Europeans first arrived, they viewed the forest as a source of furs or an obstacle to agriculture and industry. As time went on, the forest of Ontario were used as a source of wood for the development of the great European navies of the 18 and 19 centuries.

In the 20 century, the forests supported rapid development of the pulp, paper, veneer,and sawmill industries, providing a growing array of high quality forest products.

Today, Ontario’s forests play a critical role in the provincial economy. Ministry of Natural Resources figures show that forests contribute to a good standard of living, by supporting more than 80,000 direct jobs in the industry. Another 300,000 people in 250 communities throughout Ontario owe their livelihood to Ontario forests. These Jobs include employment in forest-based tourism businesses, fishing and hunting, equipment manufacturing, transportation, trapping and retail and service industries.

The OLMA plays an important role in representing the interests of it’s members in maintainingand protecting the value of national recognized grading rules by sitting on various boards and committees and also promoting the use of wood.

For futher readings please visit the links below.

Canada Wood


Canadian Wood Council


Madison’s Canadian Lumber Reporter


Natural Resources Canada


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