--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/a-detailed-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-ontario-2000-2013-sunset-industry-or-industry-in-transition/" title: "A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Ontario, 2000-2013: Sunset Industry or Industry in Transition?" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T12:55:04+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T12:55:04+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "forest products" - "labour productivity" - "Ontario" - "paper manufacturing" - "productivity" - "wood product manufacturing" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "ON" research_theme: - "Productivity and Economic Measurement" - "Regional Economic Development" - "Sector/Industry Analysis" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Ontario, 2000-2013: Sunset Industry or Industry in Transition? Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/a-detailed-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-ontario-2000-2013-sunset-industry-or-industry-in-transition/ # A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Ontario, 2000-2013: Sunset Industry or Industry in Transition? [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2015-06-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Capeluck, Evan, and Jasmin Thomas. 2015. “A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Ontario, 2000-2013: Sunset Industry or Industry in Transition?” CSLS Research Report 2015-06. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/a-detailed-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-ontario-2000-2013-sunset-industry-or-industry-in-transition/ ## Authors: - Evan Capeluck Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University - Jasmin Thomas Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2015-06 July 2015 113 pages ## Related research [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Productivity Trends: A Canada-U.S. Comparison Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) January 1999 | Report 1999-01 | 6 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-a-canada-u-s-comparison/) [New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States Andrew Sharpe March 1999 | Report 1999-02 | 21 pages](https://csls.ca/research/new-estimates-of-manufacturing-productivity-growth-for-canada-and-the-united-states/) [Productivity Trends in the Construction Sector: A Case of Lagging Technical Progress Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) November 2001 | Report 2001-03 | 177 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-the-construction-sector-a-case-of-lagging-technical-progress/) [Productivity Trends in Natural Resources Industries in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01a | 69 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-natural-resources-industries-in-canada/) [Productivity in the Forest Products Sector: A Review of the Literature Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-02 | 28 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-in-the-forest-products-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/) [An Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01b | 64 pages](https://csls.ca/research/an-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-canada/) [Why Are Americans More Productive Than Canadians? Andrew Sharpe June 2003 | Report 2003-03 | 83 pages](https://csls.ca/research/why-are-americans-more-productive-than-canadians/) [Productivity Growth and Poverty Reduction in Developing Countries Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) September 2003 | Report 2003-06 | 70 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-growth-and-poverty-reduction-in-developing-countries/) [China’s Productivity Performance and Its Impact on Poverty in the Transition Period Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) September 2003 | Report 2003-07 | 81 pages](https://csls.ca/research/chinas-productivity-performance-and-its-impact-on-poverty-in-the-transition-period/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn Ontario’s forest products sector was hit by a near perfect storm in the first decade of the twenty-first century, when a multitude of structural and cyclical factors came together to devastate the sector. Despite this, the Ontario forest products sector has had an above-average productivity performance, driven in particular by the wood product manufacturing subsector. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in the Ontario forest products sector. It also looks at the key drivers of productivity in the sector, investigating potential barriers to productivity growth and discussing policies that could enable faster growth. Given the increasing role of countries with low-labour costs in several forest product markets, maintaining robust productivity growth is an imperative for Ontario’s forest products sector if it wants to remain competitive internationally. In this vein, the report recommends a renewed focus on human and physical capital investment, as well as on R&D spending and the introduction of new innovative products. Le secteur des produits forestiers de l’Ontario a été frappé par une tempête presque parfaite au cours de la première décennie du XXIe siècle, alors qu’une multitude de facteurs structurels et conjoncturels se sont combinés pour dévaster le secteur. Malgré cela, le secteur des produits forestiers de l’Ontario a affiché une performance de productivité supérieure à la moyenne, portée notamment par le sous-secteur de la fabrication de produits du bois. Ce rapport propose une analyse détaillée des tendances de la production, des intrants et de la productivité dans le secteur des produits forestiers de l’Ontario. Il examine également les principaux moteurs de la productivité dans le secteur, en étudiant les obstacles potentiels à la croissance de la productivité et en discutant des politiques susceptibles de favoriser une croissance plus rapide. Étant donné le rôle croissant des pays à faible coût de main-d’œuvre sur plusieurs marchés des produits forestiers, le maintien d’une croissance robuste de la productivité est impératif pour que le secteur des produits forestiers de l’Ontario demeure concurrentiel à l’échelle internationale. Dans cette optique, le rapport recommande de renouveler l’accent sur l’investissement en capital humain et physique, ainsi que sur les dépenses en R-D et l’introduction de nouveaux produits novateurs. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2015-06-1.pdf)