Value-added wood products in Ontario
The province’s forest industry is supported mainly by the Northern Ontario boreal forest. These are the expansive and renewable resources that are drawn upon for the creation of value-added products. The geographical area covers 690,000 square kilometers which is roughly 17% of all Canadian forests as well as 2% of the world’s forests. It is estimated that the Ontario landscape is covered by roughly 85 billion trees. The forest industry in Ontario brings in about $10.8 billion in revenue per year. Sixty percent of Ontario’s forest industry is recognized as value-added wood products. In 2005, Ontario’s manufacturing of cabinets and furniture represented $2.2 billion.
Southwest Elgin Forest Complex
The Southwest Elgin Forest Complex comprises a 20-kilometer subzone of discontinuous woodlots in southern Ontario within 5 kilometers of the Lake Erie shoreline from John E. Pearce Provincial Park at the eastern end to the Elgin-Kent county border at the western end. Mature forests are often dominated by American beech and sugar maple with a notable presence of species, including sassafras and tulip tree, which are restricted to the Carolinian forest region. Some rare birds are present, most notably hooded warbler in woods and Acadian flycatcher in ravines.