Ontario has launched the Roadmap to Protecting Ontario’s Forest Sector, a 10-year plan that aims to protect forestry workers and businesses while responding to U.S. softwood lumber duties and tariffs and positioning the province as a G7 leader and the number one choice in the G7 for wood products, the Ontario government announced.
The forest sector generates close to $21 billion in revenue and supports over 154,000 jobs across the province. With 97% of Ontario’s forest product exports going to the United States, U.S. duties and tariffs create an immediate risk for workers, businesses, and communities tied to forestry.
The roadmap is structured around three pillars. It sets out actions to reduce the impact of U.S. trade measures, work with the federal government to keep critical mills operating, and promote Ontario forestry and forest products. It also calls for reducing regulatory burden, modernizing facilities, and increasing demand by unlocking new revenue streams while safeguarding long-term forest sustainability. The plan also targets long-term demand by supporting the development and commercialization of new forest products, attracting international investment, and increasing wood use in provincial construction through the Buy Ontario policy.
Ontario describes itself as the lowest-cost lumber producer in Canada, and the figures show the province’s forest sector generates 23% of Canada’s forestry GDP from 9% of the national wood harvest. Ontario exported approximately $8.3 billion in forest products in 2025, and the province cites access to international economies through more than 50 trade agreements.
The roadmap builds on earlier actions that include the Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan and provincial funding through the Forest Biomass Program, the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program, and the Forest Access Roads Funding Program. Since 2022, Ontario has invested over $355 million through these programs, supporting close to 90 businesses, Indigenous communities and industry partners, and creating more than 320 new jobs across Ontario.
In 2025, the U.S. increased softwood lumber duties from 14.4% to 35.16% and imposed tariffs of 10% on lumber, and 25% on furniture and cabinetry, resulting in total combined duty and tariff rates on lumber exports of 45.16%.
