Forest industries contribute much to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy.

The island of Newfoundland contains 15 million acres of forest, of which more than nine million acres are considered productive.

Government officials promoted various land-based industries during the first half of the 20th century.

Logging was difficult and often dangerous work during the first half of the 20th century, yet workers received some of the lowest wages in Newfoundland and Labrador. From sunrise until sunset, loggers felled trees, hauled logs, and helped bring the wood to the mill site.

Advances in transportation during the late 1800s and the early 1900s affected the development of the forestry and mining industries in Newfoundland and Labrador.