The Wilderness Committee proposes that Algonquin Park becomes a genuine wilderness park, in order to stop logging, fix the damage that logging has done, and provide a biodiverse area. Protecting wilderness areas is the only way to ensure that they survive; this means keeping out commercial logging.

ALGONQUIN PARK WILDERNESS PARK

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.16 - No.02, 1997

Algonquin Park Use Facts & Figures

  • There are about 1,050 plant species in Algonquin Park (including 34 tree species and 34 species of orchids, many of which are rare), 45 mammal species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians.
  • 529,723 ha out of total of 760,674 ha in Algonquin are in a "recreation-utilization" zone. Almost two-thirds of the Park (485,305 ha) is open to logging.
  • 97 percent of the logging in Algonquin is done by Shelterwood and selection logging methods. Clear-cutting occurs on 3 percent of the area logged annually, with clearcuts averaging 5 hectares in size.

    Click on map to enlarge.

  • A permanent staff of 21 people in the Algonquin Forestry Authority (AFA) manages Park logging.
  • On average just over 11,000 ha a year are logged in the Park--7.5% of the Park over the last 5 years.
  • Approximately 400,000 cubic metres of wood a year are taken out of the Park--approximately 15,000 logging truck loads. (A cubic metre is about the size of an average telephone poll.)
  • Approximately 400 woodworkers are employed in logging Algonquin Park and another 1,800 people are employed in the mills utilizing the wood from the Park, according to the AFA.
  • There are over 2,000 kilometres of permanent logging roads in the Park.
  • Over 300,000 tourists a year visit Algonquin Park.