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.
Forest of Reading
The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, made up of eight programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). The programs are geared towards readers in kindergarten to grade twelve, with several programs targeting adult readers, ESL learners and French speakers. The Forest is unique in that it is the readers themselves who choose the winners of each category by voting for their favourite books. Every year, the Forest of Reading programs culminate in an action packed event run in Toronto, called the Festival of Trees. The Festival of Trees is Canada's largest annual literary event for children, attracting over 10,000 youth every year. The winners of each program, as chosen by the young readers, are announced at the Festival of Trees events, and many authors and illustrators are in attendance, delivering hands on workshops and mingling with their young fans. In 2012, the Festival began touring and now has events in places around Ontario reaching thousands more young readers.