Alberta’s forests are a sustainable, renewable natural resource. The products from Alberta’s forests include:

• Lumber
• Plywood
• Oriented Strandboard (OSB)
• Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)
• Pulp
• Newsprint
• Cabinetry for kitchens and bathrooms
• Wood doors and windows
• Millwork – beams, laminated wood, hardwood flooring
• Office furniture
• Home furniture
• Pre-fabricated buildings (modular buildings, houses, garages)
• Wooden boxes and pallets
• Remanufactured goods (fence pickets, snow fences)

Alberta Lumber

White Spruce and lodgepole pine are the main species used to produce Alberta lumber. Our northern climate encourages slow growth and produces close-grained, structurally superior trees. The long wood fibres in Alberta’s spruce and pine mean strong, lightweight wood with excellent characteristics for many purposes.

Alberta lumber is ideal for building and framing components of residential homes and commercial buildings. It is also remanufactured for used as moulding, furniture, paneling and flooring.

While softwood timber currently dominates the industry, new applications are making native hardwoods, especially aspen and poplar, increasingly desirable. As a result, many companies are considering the production of aspen lumber.

Most Alberta lumber is kiln-dried to reduce moisture content, which ensures minimum shrinkage and cracking. This process also reduces weight, lowers transportation costs, and guarantees that the lumber meets specific market demand.

Products are graded to the National Lumber Grades Authority (NLGA) rules. To ensure lumber meets high quality standards, certified inspectors of the Alberta Forest Products Association enforce stringent quality control guidelines. These independent inspectors make unannounced visits to mills to confirm that graded lumber meets the required standard.

Alberta Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)

MDF is a panel product manufactured from spruce and pine sawmill by-products such as sawdust, shavings and chips. Combined with a synthetic resin, these materials make MDF pliant and durable, making it an attractive alternative to traditional materials in the furniture industry.

MDF is used for:

• furniture
• moulding
• shelving, countertops, kitchen cabinets
• paneling
• sub-flooring
• decking, siding, door core
• roof and wall sheathing

Alberta Plywood and Oriented Strandboard (OSB)

Alberta plywood is highly regarded in many international markets. White spruce is the main species used in the production of sheathing grade plywood panels. Plywood is produced by slicing logs into thin sheets of veneer that are then placed on top of each other and bound using resins in a heat setting process. Plywood is available in a variety of sizes and thicknesses depending on the application it is intended for.

OSB is a structural panel made of long, thin strands of aspen or poplar bonded together under intense hear and pressure with a waterproof resin. As the name suggests, these strands are “oriented” in different directions, adding to the structural stability and strength of the panel. The rigid, flat exterior grade panel meets all the performance standards necessary for residential and commercial construction.

Builders and building inspectors around the world find Alberta plywood and OSB excellent products to be used in a variety of construction applications, such as:

• wall and roof sheathing
• sub-flooring
• pallets and industrial packaging
• specialty furniture
• building components

Alberta Pulp and Paper

Pulp is a fibrous product prepared from plant material by chemical or mechanical processes. High-quality Alberta wood pulp is a major part of the manufacture of paper and paper products locally and around the world. As with lumber products, the slow-growing trees in Alberta produce a very high-quality, high-strength fibre that is sought after all over the world.

The type of trees used and the method of separating these fibres produce a variety of products:

• Softwood: Longer, stronger fibres are sought after for their strength characteristics and are used independently or as a blend to reinforce lower grade fibres
• Hardwood: Shorter fibres produce a finer grade paper for fine writing and artistic applications
• Kraft Pulp: Uses a chemical process to separate the wood fibres from the other components of the wood
• Mechanical Pulp: Uses a mechanical “grinding process” to separate the wood fibres from the other components of the wood

Alberta companies produce superior pulp that is recognized for its quality and strength. Our modern, efficient pulp mills are committed to the highest standards of customer satisfaction and product excellence.

Alberta Newsprint

Alberta newsprint is used to print daily and weekly newspapers in Canada and internationally. It is a lightweight paper engineered bright and opaque for the excellent print contrast valued by newspapers. Alberta newsprint is also made to have superior tensile strength for repeated folding and can withstand the new high-speed printing presses of major newspapers.

Newsprint is produced by first separating the wood fibres using a mechanical pulping process. After these fibres are separated and cleaned to a bright white consistency, they are recombined on a moving mat to produce thin sheets of high-quality newsprint. In Alberta, recycled paper is processed to separate the fibres and then used to supplement wood fibre when manufacturing newsprint.

Markets for Alberta’s Forest Products

Alberta’s forests are a source of quality forest products for markets around the world. Our products are shipped to markets in Alberta, other parts of Canada, the United States, Europe, and to the Asia-Pacific market.

The Alberta government’s timber harvesting guidelines, coupled with the industry’s commitment to reforestation, ensure the quality and sustainability of the resource for years to come. This sustainable approach to the harvesting and regeneration of our forests is matched by a growing commitment to meeting customer needs.

Expanding global markets are increasing the demand for premium wood products and finishing materials in construction, furniture components and millwork. Alberta’s high-quality forest products and our industry’s reputation for reliable service are welcome additions to the international marketplace.