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.
Forestry in Canada
Canada's ecosystems depend on large forested areas, making much of massive resource unusable without ecological collapse. Canada is a participant in several international protocols and conferences in areas that affect its forested land. As a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required, although there is some concern about the scientific reasoning behind some of the specific targets that Canada has chosen. Biotechnology and its effect on forested land is a concern, and the conservation of the forest's biological diversity is a major priority. The latter was the subject of the country's first Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity report.