Value-added wood products in Ontario
Since the Ontario forests are so plentiful the wood resource would be sustainable for some time. Most companies are doing their own part to help ensure that there is enough lumber within Ontario to support numerous generations to come. Tembec Industries has invested a large amount of time and money into planting trees. Tembec recently celebrated their 250 millionth tree planted in Ontario. The Ontario Government’s land use strategy helps protect and sustain all of Ontario’s natural resources, including wood products. The Ontario Forest Accord provides security by forcing the forest industry and the environmental community to establish protected areas, while at the same time meeting the needs of the forestry industry.
Mixedwood Plains Ecozone (Canada)
The forests are a part of the temperate deciduous forest that extends from Florida north to eastern Canada. The mixed plains ecozone has the highest plant diversity in Canada, with the Lake Erie lowland having trees species that occur nowhere else in Canada. Within Canada, these forest types are often referred to as the 'Carolinian zone' owing to the many southern plants and animals that reach their northern limits here. Clearing for agriculture and urbanization have reduced natural forest cover to less than ten percent. An overview of the flora and fauna of this distinctive region is available in "The Natural Treasures of Carolinian Canada". A few of the many examples of southern species found here include the hooded warbler, king rail, prothonotary warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, American badger, opossum, and eastern spiny softshell turtle. Past work has identified 38 critical natural areas, and an initiative known as The Big Picture aims to restore natural corridors as part of a natural heritage system. Some of the critical core areas in this region include Point Pelee, Long Point, Rondeau Park, Skunk's Misery, Backus Woods and Willoughby Marsh.