Prior to European settlement, native people used forests dominated by white pine for camps, portages, and spirit and burial sites. Pine tar was used to treat wounds, and pine wood was used to construct canoes and arrows.
Until the early 1900s, the white pine industry was the Ontario government’s largest source of income, representing about 30 per cent of all its revenues. White pine and red pine forests were harvested for ship masts, naval timbers, and a variety of other products. Around the 1850s, white pine was becoming scarce in southern Ontario, but the demand for white pine continued. Logging started in northeastern Ontario in the 1870s. In the early 1900s, the Ontario government banned the export of raw logs and favoured the establishment of large sawmills in the province’s northern communities.
The northward expansion of railroads also improved industrial access to the forests of northeastern Ontario.
At that time, the timber industry worked on a cut-and-leave strategy: new mills were opened along the railroads, nearby forests were exploited, and then the mills were closed when forests were depleted or economic conditions became unfavourable. The livelihood of people inhabiting the villages around mills (Figure 4) was strongly affected by the boom-and-bust nature of the forest industry, which was usually the core of the local economy.
Figure 4. The lives of loggers and their families in the early 1900s. (Photo: Archives of Ontario)
In an effort to secure a long-term supply of quality white pine trees for the forest industry, the province established the Temagami and Mississagi Forest Reserves in 1901 and 1904. Nevertheless, production of white pine and red pine sawlogs peaked in northeastern Ontario between 1900 and 1910. Following this, the availability of logs decreased, and the industry could no longer be sustained. Although some mills that primarily processed white pine and red pine remained in operation, the forest industry switched its focus to more abundant tree species such as jack pine and spruce.
Today’s Social and Economic Importance
White pine and red pine currently represent a relatively small fraction of the total volume of wood being produced in northeastern Ontario. The amount of white pine harvested in the last decade has decreased in the Lake Abitibi Ecoregion and remained relatively stable in the Lake Temagami Ecoregion. There is a shortage of large sawlogs or high quality white pine, and a surplus of smaller pulpwood or low quality white pine. In general, the price of white pine and red pine has remained more stable and higher than that of other softwoods, even for higher quality wood.
White pine provides important diversification opportunities for the regional economy, including recreation, tourism, and value-added forest products. For example, many tourists and outdoor enthusiasts prefer forests containing white pine, particularly those with large older trees. White pine is also prized for furniture, cabinetry, and other value-added products because of its many desirable wood properties.
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