Ontario’s forests include coniferous trees (which have needles) such as spruce and jack pine, and deciduous trees (which have leaves) such as poplar and birch.
Ontario’s forests provide a rich, diverse and abundant wood fibre resource that includes many species.
Softwoods, such as spruce and pine, offer a wider variety of high-quality wood in both construction and appearance grades for use in structural and finishing applications.
Hardwoods, such as oak and maple, tend to find a home in interior environments, mostly in decorative applications. Because of their durability and appearance, hardwoods have long been used in the production of cabinetry, furniture and flooring.
Softwoods:
Balsam Fir
Balsam fir has a tall narrow shape that tapers to a point at the top. Generally not as long-lived as spruce, Balsam fir has traditionally been used for pulp, paper and lumber products.
Black Spruce
Black spruce is the most common tree in Ontario, making up more than 37 per cent of the province’s growing stock. Black spruce is used primarily for pulp and paper due to its long fibres, but is also used for lumber and other solid wood products.
Cedar
Eastern white cedar is common throughout Ontario. This slow-growing tree prefers swampy areas, but can be found on rocky upland sites. Cedar is often planted as an ornamental tree for hedges. White-tailed deer eat the branches of cedar in the winter months. Cedar wood is resistant to rot, and has many uses, including cedar shake shingles, fence posts, decks and boats.
Hemlock
Eastern hemlock is a long-living tree found across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and deciduous forest regions. It commonly grows with yellow birch and maple, and is very shade tolerant. Usually found on cool moist soils near water, it is an excellent wildlife tree, providing cover from snow. White-tailed deer often yard in the winter under stands of hemlock. Hemlock has been used for lumber and railway ties, and is often planted as an ornamental tree.
Jack Pine
Jack pine is commonly found throughout Ontario. It has short needles, two to four centimetres long, that are sharp, slightly curved and grow in pairs. The cones are curved and will open after a forest fire. Jack pine is most often used for dimensional lumber, but can be used to make pulp and paper.
Red Pine
Red pine is a common tree throughout central and southern Ontario, as well as the northwest. Its long needles are sharp, dark green and grow in pairs. Red pine has traditionally been used to make poles and lumber, and has a strong pale red to reddish brown wood.
Tamarack
Tamarack, or larch, is found throughout Ontario, but is more common in the north. This coniferous tree has needles that turn yellow in autumn and drop off. Although tamarack grows on many sites, it prefers swamps or wet organic soils, and is usually found growing with black spruce. Tamarack wood is tough yet flexible, and has been used for lumber, pulp, poles and snowshoes.
White Pine
White pine is Ontario’s official tree and is commonly found throughout central and southern Ontario. White pine is the tallest tree species in eastern North America, reaching heights greater than 30 metres. Its long needles are soft to the touch and grow in bunches of five. White pine has long been used for trim, furniture and lumber, and has a light white, knotty wood.
White Spruce
White spruce is found across Ontario but is most common in the Boreal forest, on dry to fresh upland sites. It has sharp short needles about two centimetres long that are bluish green to green in colour. The cones are small and light. White spruce is most commonly used as dimensional lumber but is also used in pulp and paper and is a popular Christmas tree.
Hardwood Species:
Tolerant Hardwoods (Tolerance defines the ability of a tree species to develop and grow in the shade of, or in competition with, other trees)
Ash
Both black and white ash are common trees across Ontario. Black ash is often found on wet sites in central and northern Ontario. White ash is more common in the south on drier sites. In Ontario, ash trees have been harmed dramatically by emerald ash borer over the past few years, especially in the southwest. Ash has a very hard and strong wood and has been used for tool handles, baseball bats and furniture. It is also used as pulp and is an excellent firewood.
Basswood
Basswood, or linden, is found throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and deciduous forest regions. It often grows near water where the ground is moist. Basswood seeds provide food for birds, squirrels, mice and rabbits. Basswood has a bright, light weight wood that is very soft, and is used for lumber, picture frames and toys, as well as baskets and plywood.
Beech
Beech is found throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and deciduous forest regions, but is more common in the southern portion of the province. This tree has a smooth silver-gray bark and typically grows in shady forests. The nuts are eaten by many birds and animals including bear, wild turkeys, deer and squirrels. Beech wood is a tough heavy wood and has been traditionally used for flooring and furniture.
Black Cherry
Black cherry can grow up to 22 metres tall in southern Ontario. Further north, where temperatures are cooler and the growing season is shorter, it is smaller and more like a shrub. The black cherry tolerates varying moisture levels and a variety of soils, but is intolerant of shade and needs full sun. Highly valued by fine cabinet and furniture makers, cherry wood is commonly used for tables, desks, and chairs. Cherry is also used for musical instruments and architectural paneling.
Black Walnut
Found across southern Ontario, the black walnut is a large deciduous tree that grows to heights of 30 to 40 metres. Black walnut wood is hard, heavy, coarse-grained, attractive, and easy to work with making it highly valued for cabinets, veneers, furniture and interior finishing. It is also used for gunstocks.
Hickory
The shagbark hickory grows only in southern Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River and into Quebec. It can live for 200 years, grows to be 25 metres in height and prefers rich, moist soil.
Tree species distribution map - Shagbark hickory
The bitternut hickory is found across southern Ontario, where it grows best on low, moist ground or in rich soil on higher round. Hickory wood is used for furniture, flooring and tool handles. Known for its strength and hardness, it is suitable for many specialty products such as ladder rungs, dowels, athletic goods and gymnasium equipment. Hickory is also commonly used as a fuelwood and charcoal producer.
Maple
Red Maple - Known for its brilliant red leaves in autumn, red or soft maple is less common than sugar maple, and is found in the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence and deciduous forest regions. Red maple is often planted as an ornamental tree, and is an important source of food for wildlife.
Sugar Maple - Sugar or hard maple is a common tree in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest. The leaf of this iconic species is found on the Canadian flag. The tree is also well known for maple syrup. The hard white wood of the sugar maple is often used for furniture or flooring, but is also popular as firewood.
Oak
Bur Oak - A member of the white oak family, the bur oak is a medium to large tree, growing up to 30 metres high. It is the most common oak in Ontario, where it grows in scattered groupings throughout the Great Lake-St. Lawrence Forest region. The bur oak is a valuable hardwood, commonly marketed as white oak. It produces a durable, high-quality lumber used in flooring, veneer, furniture, boats and barrel making.
Red Oak - Red oak is a common hardwood species in central and southern Ontario. It is known for its large crown and distinctive leaves. The acorns of oak trees are an important food source for animals such as deer, wild turkeys, squirrels and woodpeckers. The hard, reddish brown wood is highly valued, often used for trim, flooring or furniture.
Yellow Birch
Yellow birch is a common hardwood across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest. The silvery gray to yellowish bark gives the tree its name. The catkins and seeds are eaten by wildlife. Yellow birch is commonly used in furniture, cabinet making, plywood and doors, and is also popular as firewood.
Intolerant Hardwoods
Poplar
Poplar or trembling aspen is a common tree throughout Ontario. Native poplar in Ontario also includes large-toothed aspen and balsam poplar. Poplar has a very light, white soft wood, and is commonly used in composite board products, as well as for pulp and paper.
White Birch
With its smooth, white paper-like bark, this tree is sometimes referred to as "paper" birch. Common throughout Ontario, the white birch is an important source of food for many birds and animals that eat the leaves, buds and seeds. White birch is often used as firewood but is also valued for veneer, pulp and paper and specialty products like hockey sticks.
