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Prince Edward Island Forest Products

PEI Christmas TreesThe forests of Prince Edward Island offer a wide range of environmental and social benefits; they provide income for land owners, employment for forest workers and raw materials for hundreds of every day products. Increasingly, consumers want to know where they can find locally produced, high quality products that match their needs and budget.

Christmas Trees and Wreaths

PEI Christmas trees are natural, safe and 100 per cent biodegradable.  PEI trees are renowned for their quality, colour, and fragrance.  Producers grow evergreen trees and wreaths for local retail outlets and export to markets in Canada and New England.

Some growers also specialize in U-cut operations.  Families are encouraged to visit a grower in one of many PEI communities to select a Christmas tree right on the stump.

Christmas Tree Resources:


Hardwood Fuelwood

With renewed interest in wood as a efficient and affordable fuel source, many people are turning to firewood for their home heating needs. You can learn more about fuelwood and how to use it efficiently and safely by reading the Consumers Guide to Buying and Burning Fuelwood.

Softwood Lumber and Other Products

The earliest settlers used cedar posts for fencing, larch and spruce for building homes and farm buildings, and many different shipbuilding components. White pine was used for masts and rigging spars, while red pine made excellent weir poles and building supports. Eastern Hemlock provided rough timber for construction work and its bark was an excellent source of tannin for tanning hides and leathers.

Today, most of the spruce, fir and pine harvested on P.E.I. is used to make dimensional timber such as studwood (2X4s and 2X6s) and boards. Softwood tree tops and poor quality trees may be sold as pulpwood or used a low grade fuel. With the closure of the Island's biggest softwood sawmill, Georgetown Timber in 2008, most Island softwood is exported to mainland mills for processing and resale. The Virtual Woodyard offers Island land owners the opportunity to determine demand and price for their softwood products

Biomass and Bioenergy

With concerns over energy prices and the impact of fossil fuel carbon and climate change, many people are interested in issues related to biomass and biofuels. These fuels can be anything from traditional fuelwood, to straw, waste grain, wood chips or wood pellets. The Biomass and Bioenergy site contains information on policies and programs related to forests and alternate energy potential and possibilities on PEI and in Canada.

Maple Products

Maple syrup and sugar are widely regarded as a truly Canadian treat. While both the Sugar Maple and the Red Maple grow in forests across PEI, the development of an Island maple syrup sector has been limited by the young age of most maples and the small size of most Sugar Maple stands. Today there are a couple of small, family-run businesses that produce high quality maple products in several Island communities. With some time and effort there is room to expand maple production on PEI. You can learn more about maple sugar products and managing maple stands by visiting the New Brunswick Maple Syrup Association.

Specialty Wood Products

Prince Edward Island is rapidly gaining a reputation for manufacturing affordable, high quality Island wood products for local and global markets. Most of these businesses use locally produced wood, and specialty imported woods, to create products which add value and beauty to any home or property.

Atlantic Wood is an industry association representing value-added wood product manufacturers in Eastern Canada. Members produce a wide variety of products for regional and international markets. Consumers and international buyers can access products or place inquiries directly to the manufacturers.

 

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