Tolko Industries Ltd. is a privately owned forest products company based in Vernon, British Columbia

Vernon, British Columbia

Vernon is a city in the south-central region of British Columbia, Canada. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 35,944 , while...

. It manufactures and markets specialty forest products to world markets. Tolko's products include lumber, plywood

Plywood

Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...

, veneer

Wood veneer

In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry...

, oriented strand board

Oriented strand board

Oriented strand board, also known as OSB and SmartPly , is an engineered wood product formed by layering strands of wood in specific orientations. In appearance, it may have a rough and variegated surface with the individual strips Oriented strand board, also known as OSB (UK) and SmartPly (UK &...

, and kraft paper

Kraft paper

Kraft paper or kraft is paper or paperboard produced from chemical pulp produced in the kraft process.Pulp produced by the kraft process is stronger than that made by other pulping processes; acidic sulfite processes degrade cellulose more, leading to weaker fibers, and mechanical pulping...

s. The Company's Woodlands operations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have received third-party certification of their sustainable forest management

Sustainable forest management

Sustainable forest management is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management uses very broad social, economic and environmental goals...

 systems.

In 2004 Tolko acquired Weyerhauser's Slave Lake OSB manufacturing facility, and engaged in a hostile takeover of Riverside Forest Products, which in turn had just acquired Lignum Forest Products.

Tolko is distinguished by its decentralized management structure, in which each mill runs as though it were a standalone unit.

Tolko's access to the Browns Creek watershed has been subject to a blockade by the Okanagan Indian Band

Okanagan Indian Band

The Okanagan Indian Band is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the city of Vernon in the northern Okanagan Valley...

 since February 22, 2010. The blockade is supported by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

Tolko Industries Ltd. is a member of the Forest Products Association of Canada

Forest Products Association of Canada

Founded in 1913, the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association changed its name to the Forest Products Association of Canada in February 2001.The Forest Products Association of Canada , is a trade association which represents Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers both nationally and internationally...

.