SUSTAINABILITY FACTS

Forests cover 69 million hectares of the Province of Ontario.

Parks and protected areas cover 9.5 million hectares, resulting in 12%of the Crown land managed for forestry being permanently protected.

Additional areas are off limits to forest operations (up to 60% in some areas) through the application of forest management guidelines designed to address non-timber values (e.g. wildlife such as bald eagle and forest-dwelling woodland caribou, water quality, cultural heritage sites).

GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE

Ontario’s Wood products sector harvests 210,000 hectares annually, about one third of one percent of Ontario’s forested areas and three times less than the average amount lost to natural disturbance such as fire, insects and wind.

According to the United Nations FAO State of the World’s Forests report, Canada’s deforestation rate is zero.

Canada retains 91 percent of its original forest cover, more than any other country in the world while have a large and thriving forest products industry for more than 100 years.

OUR FORESTS: TAKE PRIDE

With 134 million hectares (300 million acres) of certified forest, Canada has the largest area of third party, independently certified and internationally recognized (CSA, SFI, FSC) forest in the world.

Approximately 80% of Ontario Crown lands managed for forest operations in Ontario are certified to independent, internationally recognized certification systems (CSA, FSC, SFI).

Ontario forest practices are governed by a world-class, platinum standard regulatory framework that includes the protection of species at risk and their habitat.

Due in part to forestry practices, today the bald eagle is no longer endangered in Northern Ontario and similar good news stories exist for other species, including the red-shouldered hawk, southern flying squirrel, and most recently forest dwelling woodland caribou.

Ontario's forestry sector regenerates the trees that it harvests. Over a span of just five years, forestry companies in Ontario planted over HALF A BILLION (656,770,000) trees. That’s an average of 131 million trees a year.

When we buy Ontario-made forest products WE ALL WIN!

Land Use

Total Area of Ontario:
Approximately 106.8 million hectares, or more than one million square kilometers.

Total Forested Land:
69.1 million hectares, or about 65% of the total area.

Forest Ownership:
Provincial— 88%
Private— 11%
Federal— 1%

Forest Type:
Softwood — 50%
Hardwood — 23%
Mixedwood — 27%

Average Annual Harvest Area:
210,000 hectares—or less than 1/3 of 1% of the total forested area.

Average Annual Area Affected by Insects:
260,000 hectares

Average Annual Area of Forest Fires:
245,000 hectares

Forest Renewal:
Paid for by industry. Companies use natural and artificial regeneration.

Licensing:
Companies gain access to Crown lands through licensing agreements with the Ministry of Natural Resources. The larger licenses, called Sustainable Forestry Licenses, cover 20 years. They are renewed every five years based on a review of the company's performance. The industry sources about 75-80% of its fibre from Crown lands.

Socio-Economic Impact:

Direct employment: 80,000 (2006)
Indirect and induced employment: 170,000 (2006)
Value of sales: $19 billion (2003)
Value of exports: $8.7 billion (2003)