Situated just south of Algonquin Park
The Bancroft-Minden Area

Forests and forest resources, comprising about half of Canada's landmass of well over 400 million hectares, are an integral part of Canadian life. Canada is the classic example of a country whose development and inhabitants’ well‐being have, to a very great extent, been built on the wealth of its forests, owing to the availability of solid forest products industry across the country. When looking at the Bancroft-Minden area these statement describe this area to a tee.
The Bancroft Area Forest Industry Association (BAFIA) is comprised of approximately 25 members who are typically small, family owned and operated forest practitioners ranging from loggers, sawmill operators, forest technicians, woodlot owners and managers. The geographic area of the Association and the majority of its members are defined as those lands that fall between Madoc north to Whitney and Denbigh west to Apsley in the province of Ontario, Canada. Our mission statement is “to promote and sustain the forest industry in the Bancroft area”. We believe that sustainable forestry practices are necessary in this day and age. It is both good for the environment and business.As a group we gather every month to voice our concerns and develop action plans to confront the issues facing our industry today.

Demand for value‐added hardwood products in Asia has expanded rapidly in recent years due to the increase in housing starts as well as increasing income per capita. South Korea is a relatively smaller market in Asia with robust growth in its real estate industry. Its relatively transparent trade regulations provide an ideal test market for the OEWC to export its value‐added wood products. Further details regarding operation logistics must be finalized prior to exporting wood products to this market. Upon trading with South Korea for five years, the OEWC should consider expanding its presence to export value‐added wood products to rapidly growing top‐tier cities, such as Shanghai and New Delhi. It can use its experience building trade with South Korea to capture expected increased demand in other Asian markets for quality forestry products.