About Renfrew County

Renfrew County is often referred to as one of the "hidden gems of Ontario" in reference to its diverse, scenic landscape and rich cultural heritage. The county is also Ontario's largest at 2 million acres.

Nestled between Algonquin Park and the Ottawa River, Renfrew County is a transition zone containing elements of northern and southern Ontario; rolling, forested rock outcrops of the Canadian Shield give way to farmland below Pembroke. Southern species like deer, red-shouldered hawks and grey squirrel share the land with northern species such as pine marten, goshawks and moose. Southern plants such as ginseng, sugar maple and oaks mingle with northern aspens, pines and spruce.

The Opeongo ridge, a major geological feature, bisects the county, running diagonally through Barrys Bay and Renfrew. Major rivers include the Ottawa, Madawaska, Bonnechere and Petawawa, historically important for settlement and logging, today for recreation and hydroelectric generation. Over 200 lakes, and thousands of wetlands dot the landscape and complement the county's rich biodiversity.

The area is part of the ancestral home of the Algonquin First Nation, whose descendants are centred today at Golden Lake. French, Polish, German, Irish, Scottish and English are some of the cultural groups who settled here to log and farm, mainly since the mid -1800's, adding to the rich cultural heritage of the county.

The original forest, once dominated by white pine, has been converted to farmland and second growth forests, dominated by poplar, birch, balsam and a host of other species including a much smaller pine component. Although the forest industry and the forest have changed greatly over time, this sector continues to be the largest economic sector, a standing now being rivaled by tourism.

Fifty-five percent of the land in Renfrew County is privately owned. Of this, 600,000 acres is forested, making it the largest private land forest in any Ontario county. The additional, unforested land component supports mixed agriculture, with hay production being most important.

"The Valley", as Renfrew County is affectionately known, is home to 85,000 residents. Thousands more visit each year to cottage, camp, sight see, fish, hunt and snowmobile.

The Renfrew County Stewardship Program is a private land conservation program which brings together landowners, organizations and agencies to share information and partner on land stewardship projects. The program is directed by a council comprised of volunteer representatives of diverse groups of land and natural resource users with a common interest in encouraging responsible land use and stewardship for the benefit of the environment, citizens and future generations of Renfrew County.