In 1961, the Jacobson Lumber Company of Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) installed one of the first pressure treating plants in Ontario using water-borne preservatives. In 1974, members of the current ownership group of T.F.I. purchased Jacobson Lumber, and two years later relocated the treating facilities to Acton, Ontario. The business operated there as Toronto Wood Treating for a dozen years, but by the late 1980s the rapid growth of the residential market for treated wood products called for a much larger facility to service customer requirements.

Thus in 1988 Total Forest Industries was created. Located on 300 acres in Hagersville, Ontario on a former military airbase, the plant design focused on three objectives – to achieve great efficiency in its treating operations, to maximize product quality through process control and to meet or exceed all environmental requirements, both existing and contemplated.

Over the intervening years T.F.I. has never wavered in its commitments to these three objectives. We have continually invested in new and better technology as it has become available to both enhance production techniques and to bolster our quality assurance mandate. We have built new structures that allow us to exceed environmental requirements for post-treatment drying of freshly treated wood.

In 2012 T.F.I. introduced MicroPro Sienna® Treated Wood to its customers. This leading edge preservative system has since gained a dominant position as the first choice of Ontario consumers for all outdoor building projects involving treated wood.

In September 2016, T.F.I. was acquired by CanWel Building Materials Group Ltd.

At TFI We Believe…

  • That our customers are the reason we are in business.
  • In providing our customers with the highest quality products and service.
  • In building long-term relationships based on trust and respect.
  • In listening to our customers and responding quickly to their needs.
  • In standing behind everything we do.
  • In giving the customer what they want and a little bit more – exceeding your expectations.