Cameron Duckett
Forestry Policy Advisor, Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA)
For over 75 years, the Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA), a non-profit dedicated to growing local communities, has provided a unified voice for a diverse membership of forestry companies that operate across Ontario. Its members remain committed to sustainable forest management by balancing social and environmental values with economic development, while fostering relationships with various stakeholders and rightsholders.
As true stewards of our forests, OFIA’s members are committed to the responsible and sustainable harvesting of our province’s only renewable natural resource, trees. In doing so, their actions have helped maintain healthy and productive forest ecosystems and provided recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat protection, all while assisting in climate change mitigation and generating employment opportunities in over 260 northern communities.
Ontario’s Crown forests cover almost two-thirds of the province and nearly half are managed forests. For generations, Ontario’s forest sector has operated responsibly and played a vital role in every region of the province, creating over 155,000 direct and indirect jobs. By sustainably harvesting a mere 0.2% of Ontario’s renewable resource each year, we continue to generate an impressive fiscal return, reflected by a domestic economic impact of $16.6 billion and total wages of $2.3 billion.
Our province’s forest practices are governed by a world-class regulatory framework which provides for all forest values — environmental, social, cultural, and economic — including the protection of at-risk-species and their habitats. The association strives to sustainably manage our forests today to meet the needs of future generations. OFIA’s mission is simple: to grow a stronger, greener Ontario.
