Tidbit Tuesday-Lumber

I'm more than 1/2 finished The Lady's Marquess and wanted to talk more about Canada during this time. I don't normally see a lot of references to Canada's involvement during the Napoleonic Wars, but they were instrumental in helping Britain maintain independence from France and in maintaining their naval superiority.

A simple search of Napoleonic Wars and Canada brings up more than I ever realized and really delves into Upper and Lower Canada's early history. For instance, timber. Without Canadian timber, Britain wouldn't have been able to build and maintain their naval fleet. Their usual supply from the Baltic States was cut off by Napoleon's Continental Blockade.

From the 1890s https://bit.ly/3WJ1Tlx

Naval Mast Trade

Large masts, cut for the Royal Navy from the finest trees of the mixed forest that swept through the Maritimes and the St Lawrence Valley, were the most valuable commercial product of British North American forests. The naval mast trade, always limited by its specialized and high quality requirements, shifted from the Saint John to the St Lawrence Valley early in the 19th century when contractors sought oak, as well as pine, from the deciduous forests of the southern Great Lakes area. The square timber industry developed rapidly to meet the enormous demand from Britain, which was at war with Napoleonic France and was also undergoing industrialization. In 1806, in an effort to strangle Britain’s economy, Napoleon established the Continental Blockade, closing all European ports to British ships. Because Britain’s traditional source of timber, the Baltic, was not accessible during this time, the Blockade further fuelled the British North American industry. On average, 9,000 loads (almost 1.5 m³ each) of colonial timber entered Britain annually between 1802 and 1805, and that number only continued to grow: In 1807 the total was 27,000; in 1809, 90,000; in 1840 over 500,000; and in 1846, 750,000. Thereafter imports fluctuated for 20 years around 600,000 loads and then declined until WWI.

For really cool photos: Civilization.ca - Canada Hall - The timber trade (historymuseum.ca)

Ottawa River timber trade - Wikipedia

Timber Trade History | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Napoleonic Wars | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Britain's timber imports from the Baltic, 1775–1830 (tandfonline.com)