Ontario
timber prices
Crown stumpage
Ontario does not have a free-market timber price. It sets regulated Crown timber charges (stumpage) under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act — an administrative charge a licensee pays to harvest public timber. Charges are province-wide by species and product; for Period 4: 1–31 July 2026 the Spruce/Pine/Fir sawlog charge totals about $6.75/m³. Not a market price.
How the $6.75/m³ Crown charge breaks down
The Spruce/Pine/Fir sawlog charge is built from four regulated components: a minimum price set annually on 1 April, a residual value adjusted monthly with product markets, a forest renewal (FRI) charge and the flat Forestry Futures charge. This is an administrative charge, not a market price. Source: Government of Ontario.
SPF sawlog Crown charge since 2016
Spruce/Jack Pine/Scots Pine/Balsam Fir/Larch, Sawmill column, Period 1 (April) of each fiscal year, extracted from the official stumpage matrix XLSX for each year (same dataset, OGL-Ontario). The 2021-22 and 2022-23 spikes are the lumber-price boom feeding through the monthly Residual Value Price. In early years the Minimum Price could change within the fiscal year; the series shows April values. Source: Ontario open data – Crown timber charges.
Harvest volume by Forest Management Unit
Harvest volume (2023, all species, m³) by Forest Management Unit. Note: the map shows harvest volume (2023) — Crown charges are province-wide and do not vary by FMU. Source: Ontario open data – Report on forest management (OGL–Ontario). Boundaries: Ontario GeoHub (OGL–Ontario).
Largest harvests by Forest Management Unit
Top 10 FMUs by harvest volume in 2023 (m³, all species) of a provincial total of about 12.6 million m³. This is volume, not price — the Crown charge is province-wide and identical in every FMU. Source: Ontario open data – Report on forest management.
Ontario Crown timber charges by species & product
Regulated administrative charges (Crown stumpage) in CAD per m³, province-wide. Subtotal = minimum + residual value + FRI + Forestry Futures. A separate $1.00/m³ administration charge applies to timber exported outside Canada for manufacturing. Source: Government of Ontario, stumpage matrix 2026–27.
| Species group | Product | Minimum | Residual (Jul 2026) | FRI | Forestry Futures | Subtotal Crown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spruce / Pine / Fir / Larch | Sawmill (sawlog) | $3.56 | $0.00 | $2.50 | $0.69 | $6.75 |
| Spruce / Pine / Fir / Larch | Veneer | $3.56 | $1.53 | $2.50 | $0.69 | $8.28 |
| Hemlock / Cedar | Sawmill | $3.56 | $0.00 | $2.50 | $0.69 | $6.75 |
| White & Red Pine (Grade 1) | Sawmill / Veneer | $3.56 | $0.00 | $2.50 | $0.69 | $6.75 |
| Hardwood Grade 1 (maple, etc.) | Sawmill / Veneer | $3.56 | $0.00 | $2.50 | $0.69 | $6.75 |
| Hardwood Grade 2 | Composite | $0.00 | $2.00 | $0.79 | $0.69 | $3.48 |
| Hardwood Grade 2 | Pulp | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.79 | $0.69 | $1.48 |
| Poplar | All sectors (except bioproduct: $1.28) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.79 | $0.69 | $1.48 |
| White Birch | All sectors (except bioproduct: $1.28) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.79 | $0.69 | $1.48 |
| Mixed Woods | Bioproduct | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.59 | $0.69 | $1.28 |
What Ontario harvests
Share of Ontario's Crown wood harvest by dominant boreal commercial species (2024). Note: the Crown charge is province-wide and does not vary by region — there is no regional price map. Ontario harvested about 11.4 million m³ in 2024. Source: Government of Ontario.
What are timber prices in Ontario?
There is no free-market "timber price" published for Ontario. The public number is the Crown timber charge — a regulated administrative charge (stumpage) a licensee pays the Crown for harvesting public timber under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. For Period 4: 1–31 July 2026, the Spruce/Pine/Fir sawlog charge totals about $6.75/m³, and hardwood Grade 1 is $6.75/m³.
The charge is set province-wide by species group and product and does not vary between forest management units or cities. It combines a minimum price (set 1 April), a residual value price (adjusted monthly), a forest renewal (FRI) charge and the Forestry Futures charge. These are not what logs or lumber sell for on the open market.
Ontario harvested about 11.4 million m³ of Crown wood in 2024 and collected $113.9 million in timber charges, across roughly 27.8 million ha of managed public forest. Dominant commercial species are black spruce, jack pine and poplar.
About Ontario timber charges
What are timber prices in Ontario?
Ontario does not publish a free-market timber price. It sets regulated Crown timber charges (stumpage) under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. For Period 4: 1–31 July 2026, the total Crown charge for Spruce/Pine/Fir sawlogs is about $6.75/m³, and for Poplar about $1.48/m³.
Is this a market price?
No. It is a regulated administrative charge a licensee pays the Crown for the right to harvest public timber. It is not what logs, lumber or finished wood sell for on the open market.
Do the charges vary by region or city?
No. The Crown timber charge is province-wide by species group and product. It applies the same in Thunder Bay, Hearst, Kenora, Timmins and every other forest management unit.
What is the charge made of?
A minimum price (set annually on 1 April), a residual value price (adjusted monthly with product markets), a forest renewal / Forest Resources Inventory (FRI) charge, and the flat Forestry Futures charge of $0.69/m³.
How is volume measured?
Harvested volume is metered by the Ontario Wood Measurement System as wood enters the mill; the licensee (or the Crown's agent) pays the charge on that measured volume.
Where do the numbers come from?
The Government of Ontario Crown timber charges (stumpage matrix, 2026–27) and Ontario forest management facts and figures. Data is licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. British Columbia is excluded (its data is licence-restricted).