Temagami Forest

The Temagami Forest is one of Ontario’s most historically and culturally significant forest management units, located north of North Bay and south of Temiskaming Shores. It is now run by the Temagami Forest Management Corporation (TFMC), a local forest management corporation. Before March 31, 2022, the Temagami Forest was managed directly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; after that date, a Sustainable Forest License was issued to TFMC.

The forest covers about 634,118 hectares, about 94% Crown land, and includes major ecological, recreational, and cultural values such as old-growth red and white pine, canoe routes, lakes, conservation reserves, and traditional territories of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai/Temagami First Nation, Timiskaming First Nation, and Matachewan First Nation.

Historically, Temagami is notable for the 1898 Temagami Forest Reserve, early tourism and canoe travel, railway access after the early 1900s, long-running debates over old-growth logging and protected areas, and Indigenous land-rights issues. Today, the forest is managed under Ontario’s regulated system with strong attention to cultural heritage, old-growth values, recreation, ecological sustainability, and local economic development.