Products Produced

Dimensional lumber isused in wood-frameconstruction for walls,floors and roofs. Many facilities in Alberta produce a wide variety ofsizes and saw to the customer’s specifications for markets throughoutthe world.

Alberta pulp is used to manufacture a variety of products from highquality paper to tissue, paper towel, cardboard and other packaging.Additionally, Alberta is home to one of the leading newsprint producerson the continent.

Engineered wood products (EWP) aremanufactured by bonding togetherwood fibre including strands, veneers,and lumber to create a product that isstronger and stiffer than the sum of itsparts. EWP produced in Alberta includeplywood, oriented strand board (OSB),glue laminated timber, laminatedveneer lumber (LVL), finger-jointedlumber and medium density fibreboard(MDF). EWP is used in many buildingapplications and is an environmentallyresponsible choice, offeringtremendous benefits in terms ofstrength, quality and consistency.

Alberta is constantly exploring new business opportunitiesfor the forest sector with emerging bio-technologies, existingcommodity markets andbeyond.

Major Mills in Alberta

Alberta supports a policy of sustainable forestmanagement designed to maintain ecological,economic, and social opportunities for present andfuture generations. This means that the volume oftimber harvested does not exceed the volume oftimber growing. Alberta’s current Annual AllowableCut (AAC), or the volume approved by thegovernment for harvest, totals more than 31 millioncubic metres (of which 19 million is coniferous and12 million deciduous). Additional biomass isavailable from sources such as harvest and millwaste, pulp mill black liquor and separated lignin,and trees salvaged from fire or insect and diseaseoutbreak.

Alberta sets rigorous reforestation standards and monitors industry activities toensure strict compliance. Forest companies are required to reforest their harvestedareas within two years, resulting in close to 75 million tree seedlings being plantedeach year in Alberta. That’s approximately 4 seedlings for each tree harvested.

The forestry sector in Alberta has a long history ofresponsible, professional stewardship of Alberta’sforested lands and is globally recognized for itswork. According to Certification Canada, 77 percentof Alberta forest lands are third-party certified underone or more of the three internationally recognizedstandards for sustainable forest management –Canadian Standards Association (CSA),Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), or ForestStewardship Council (FSC).

Alberta has a highly skilled, educated workforce andmodern structure of utilities, transportation, and

service infrastructure. Amongst Canadian provinces, Alberta offers the mostfavourable taxation system for individuals, businesses and investment.

Alberta is unique in having a confluence of three significant resource sectors –forestry, agriculture, and energy. These sectors offer each other significantopportunity, whether it be for feedstock, processing capacityand expertise or the development of alternative markets.Alberta’s emerging bio-economy, integrated land managementand reclamation are prime examples of where their strengthscan be concentrated for great benefit.

Lodgepole PineKey Products:• Dimensionallumber

• Laminated veneerlumber (LVL)

• Pulp White SpruceKey Products:• Dimensionallumber

• Pulp

Aspen PoplarKey Products:• Oriented strandboard (OSB)

• Oriented strandlumber (OSL)

• Laminated veneerlumber (LVL)

• Plywood• Pulp

Balsam PoplarKey Products:• Pallets andcrating

• Oriented strandboard (OSB)

• Plywood

Black SpruceKey Products:• Dimensionallumber

• Pulp

Jack PineKey Products:• Dimensionallumber

• Pulp

White BirchKey Products:• Hardwoodlumber

• Flooring• Pallets andcrating

• Millwork For more information on Alberta forestproducts, visit our website atsrd.alberta.ca

ISBN: 978-1-4601-0321-0 (Printed Version)978-1-4601-0322-7 (Online Version)

Revised July 2012Photo Credit: Alberta Forest Products Association,Alberta Newsprint Company and Wood WORKS!

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A l b e r t a F o r e s t P r o d u c t s