Learn More About Haliburton Forest Staff & Our History

Haliburton Forest is an unusual company.  

It is an outdoor lover’s paradise and a wood lover’s dream. It is a research facility and an education centre. It is a property where members of our community make their livelihood, and thousands of visitors make their day. It is a major force in the forest products industry. It is 100,000 acres, 100 lakes, and millions of trees, and it is home to countless creatures. 

Above all, and always, Haliburton Forest is a sustainably managed forest. 

In summary, Haliburton Forest is one company with five divisions. We provide year-round employment to 175 people and work closely on a regular basis with 75 independent contractors. We have a skilled management team, devoted staff, and a hands-on, get-it-done attitude. Our business strategy is to be environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, and economically viable in everything that we do, so that we can prosper over the very long term. 

This is the story of who we are and what we do, beginning with our history, leading into the present, and ending with a vision for the future of our business. 

First Nations 

We respectfully acknowledge that Haliburton Forest is in the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe. Some of the communities and nations are collectively known as the Williams Treaty First Nations. These First Nations and many others have been stewards of these lands since time immemorial. 

We seek to honour their historical and ongoing connection to the land by acknowledging their stewardship, engaging their communities, and learning from their members, while fulfilling our commitment to sustainable forest management.  

We have much to learn about the historical and ongoing connection of First Nations to the lands that now comprise Haliburton Forest. In time, we expect to update our website to contain a true and respectful overview of First Nations land use in and around Haliburton Forest. We also recognize that there are many contemporary opportunities to improve our relationships with First Nations communities, peoples, and businesses. 

One step that we have taken in that direction is making a commitment to the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program, which is delivered by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. Click on the links to learn more about the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program, review our Leadership Statement, and read our Aboriginal Relations Policy. 

Colonization Era 

Industrial activities began in the late-1800s with the arrival of the timber barons and pioneers. The lumberjacks and sawmillers that followed performed widespread high-grading throughout Haliburton Forest. This changed the forests in a negative way: the merchantable timber was depleted, and the presence of some species like White pine was nearly eliminated.  

Hay & Company took ownership of the property in the 1940s. They built an enormous sawmill with a big, flat yard – an area that has since been modified, and is now known as Base Camp. Some of the buildings at Base Camp, such as the Logging Museum, date back to Hay & Company. By the mid-20th century, the property had been depleted of timber and the sawmill burned down.  

Haliburton Forest took on its current form in the early-1960s, when it was purchased by the Schleifenbaum Family. This family had a different view from the past owners: the land deserved to be managed in its natural state, not exploited for short-term gain. They set about creating the diverse and vibrant business that Haliburton Forest is known for today. 

In 1988, Dr. Peter Schleifenbaum moved to Haliburton Forest from Germany and began implementing a new program of sustainable forest management. Under his leadership, Haliburton Forest doubled in land area, offered dozens of recreational activities, built its own wood processing facilities, and was recognized as the first sustainable forest in Canada. 

More recently, the company has changed again. A new organization has taken ownership. A team of professional managers is responsible for the operations. A Board of Directors oversees their work. Despite these changes, the mandate to conduct sustainable forest management and educate the public about our forests continues to be embraced by everyone at Haliburton Forest. 

Today, Haliburton Forest is an integrated and diversified company that can be summarized with two simple statements. First, it is a sustainable multi-use private land stewardship company. Second, it is one company with five operating divisions. The next section provides additional context for how our company works. 

Forest Experiences

Forest Experiences is the part of our business that the public knows best, as it tends to be the “face” of Haliburton Forest. Forest Experiences contains more than a dozen operations, including snowmobiling, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, camping, accommodations, a restaurant, and the Wolf Centre as well as Canopy Tour. It also contains long-term leases for hunt clubs as well as trailer sites.  

Forest Experiences has been kindly described as “remarkable, quirky, authentic, and charming.” Our mission with Forest Experiences is to share our property with others and to earn our social license every day. If you want to learn more about our Forest Experiences division, head to the homepage of this website. 

Forest Management

Forest Management is responsible for silvicultural strategy, logging operations, infrastructure development, and scientific research on our own property as well as on the Crown forests for which we are responsible. Over the last few years, our total area under management has increased to well over 1 million acres. It is thanks to the efforts of the Forest Management crew that Haliburton Forest is one of the most researched natural forests in the world. Forest Management is staffed with professional foresters and forestry technicians.  

Our mission with Forest Management is to implement the highest standards of sustainable forest management, and continuously push the boundaries by supporting and incorporating scientific research into our work. You can learn more about our Forest Management at this website. 

An important part of our mission is also to work with a wide range of stakeholders throughout our forest management activities. To accomplish this, we have established a dispute resolution procedure, which can be accessed here.

Forest Products

Forest Products operates four hardwood sawmills, which are located in Haliburton, South River, Huntsville, and Palmer Rapids. These sawmills together produce more than 25 million fbm of hardwood lumber per year, and market large volumes of sawlogs, veneer logs, pulpwood, firewood, and sawmill co-products to a wide range of facilities across North America. We are one of the largest producers of hardwood lumber in Canada. 

Our mission with Forest Products is to operate safe, clean, and competitive hardwood lumber manufacturing facilities, with a relentless focus on further improving our operations. You can learn more about our Forest Management at this website. 

EcoLog Homes 

Eco-Log Homes is a customized log home kit production business, which utilizes the Hemlock timber produced within Haliburton Forest. For more than 25 years, we have provided clients with small cabins, full-sized cottages, and everything in between. This business was created to fulfill our ethical and economic obligation to add value to the wood that we harvest from our forest, while producing attractive and long-lasting homes for a wide range of clients. You can learn more about our Forest Management at this website. 

Haliburton Forest Biochar 

Haliburton Forest Biochar is a fast-growing business that has evolved from a research and development start-up into a commercial operation. Its focus is converting low-value co-products from the sawmills operated by Haliburton Forest into high-value biochar that can be used in a wide range of applications. Our biochar is used in the advanced manufacturing, engineered soils, and heavy industrial sectors. You can learn more about Haliburton Forest Biochar at this website. 

Haliburton Forest is a forest first, and a business second. This means that our management team has a very long-term perspective. We tend to think in terms of years and decades rather than months and seasons. While nobody can know what the future holds, we have a good feeling about some of the challenges and opportunities that we will face over the next 100 years. What follows is a quick summary of the top items that come to mind when we look to the future. 

Changing Environment 

Whether climate change is anthropogenic or natural, we believe that the climate of Haliburton Forest will be similar to that of Maryland or Virginia within 100 years. Even more concerning than climate change, we also expect more invasive species – including pests like Beech Bark Disease or Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and plants like Garlic Mustard or Phragmites – to have an impact on our property. These changes are for the most part negative, and something that we are working to address through research partnerships with numerous institutions. 

More Diversity 

The demographics of Canada have always been in flux, but the changes are happening faster and faster. This is an incredibly positive development for our company and our society. We are already seeing more “new Canadians” visiting Haliburton Forest, as one of their first efforts to experience the incredible natural beauty of central Ontario. We are also seeing the tastes and interests of traditional clients change as they move through stages of life. We will continue to improve the experiences that we offer to accommodate the changing cultural needs and social interests of all of our supporters and visitors. 

Strong Competition 

All of our operating divisions face strong competition. For example, we will continue to compete with low-cost resorts in the Caribbean as well as cheaply (and often poorly) manufactured wood products from overseas. Our competitors are smart and innovative. We will strive to remain competitive by sticking to our principles: offering exceptional outdoor experiences at a forest where sustainable forest management and the protection of ecological integrity are the priority, while manufacturing excellent hardwood products at our sawmills by implementing advanced technology, smart processing techniques, and engaging well-trained staff. 

Bigger & Better 

The team at Haliburton Forest has a very clear mandate: get better at everything that we do, and responsibly grow the business over time. This mandate extends to every aspect of the operation, from snowmobiling and sawmilling to camping and logging. We expect to continue growing and improving our many operations, as well as the land base itself. Achieving this mandate in a sustainable manner will be challenging, but it is a huge opportunity. 

Haliburton Forest is a unique company responsible for the sustainable management of a remarkable piece of land. Over the next 100 years, we will continue to embrace each challenge as an opportunity to improve, with an ongoing focus on enhancing and improving each aspect of the operation. We will work with our clients, stakeholders, and partners to continue earning an excellent reputation within all of our operating divisions

The managers and staff at Haliburton Forest are big believers in transparency, both inside and outside the company. More information about our operations is available throughout our website. If any of the information presented here piques your interest, or if you simply want to learn more about how, what, and why we do what we do, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to tell you more.