The Forest: Where Wood Comes From

By Keith MacDonald, Executive Director, Cape Breton Partnership

A recent trip to meet with a number of companies in Cheticamp, provided me with the opportunity to travel through some rural parts of Cape Breton. Turning right at the “Red Barn” and traveling gradually northwest, I was able to enjoy what was left of Cape Breton’s spectacular fall colours, which had me reflect on how the region offers the opportunity to live and work in such beautiful, natural surroundings.

While Cape Breton is well known for our scenery and Celtic culture, in some parts of the world the area is often recognized for the high-quality, sought-after products that are produced around the region. Cape Breton's ability to manufacture value-added wood products is evident by two of the stops I made on the way to Cheticamp at Middle River to meet with the folks at Finewood Flooring and in East Margaree’s Larch Wood Enterprises.

Since 1982, Finewood Flooring & Lumber Limited has been providing high quality, kiln dried hardwood products including solid hardwood strip flooring, plank flooring, dimension stock, cabinet-grade kiln dried lumber, and trims and mouldings. Located in the heart of the hardwood forests, Finewood collects various types of wood in the forest and processes it on site for customers near and far. Many of Finewood’s customers are in Europe and the Mediterranean, where quality and consistency are paramount. In business for 29 years, Finewood continues to establish a viable hardwood industry which complements and sustains the natural forests of Cape Breton by producing and marketing high quality products that meet and exceed international standards.

Continuing on my drive to Cheticamp, I also paid a visit to Larch Wood Enterprises Inc. in East Margaree for a tour of their facility and showroom. I was also able to gain new knowledge on larch wood and its unique qualities. Larch Wood Enterprises specializes in ‘end grain’ cutting boards and custom work. Larch Wood works exclusively with the native Eastern Canadian Larch Tree which grows in abundance in Cape Breton and has been traditionally used in boat building and other exterior applications such as decking and fence posts. Due to the wood’s characteristics of rot resistance, strength and the ability to neutralize bacteria, Larch has all the characteristics needed to produce a superior cutting surface. Since introducing a product line of high-end cutting boards in 2003, Larch Wood Enterprises has quickly become a best seller in many shops and galleries across Canada and the USA.

After a quick browse through of both businesses and meeting with the entrepreneurs who have steered these businesses toward the success they have achieved today, I made my way to Cheticamp thinking about how both Finewood Flooring and Larch Wood Enterprises have created their own recipes for success. Each company has taken a resource that is abundant here in Cape Breton and turned it into something that is value-added and exportable. Through their entrepreneurial efforts, both companies have created wealth and dozens of jobs in rural settings.

As efforts to increase the prosperity of the Cape Breton region continue, the forest and the resources that it provides have to be more closely examined. By following the lead of companies such as Finewood and Larch Wood, more value-added wood products can be produce here in the area and shipped out to the world.

So while you are considering gifts for those on your Christmas list this year, why not buy local and support our neighbours so that they too can continue to live and work in Cape Breton. A larch wood cutting board or a new hardwood floor would look great under anyone’s Christmas tree!