Table of contents
No headers
Video Summary
Balancing the bioeconomy with traditional-bsed industries. There are opportunities to use wood in different ways in communities that have lost traditional mills/lumber industries. traditional forest-based industries are usually high paying jobs, depend on exports, bringing lots of revenue back into the towns. These new bioeconomies will be less lucrative but better for the forest and fit within the existing plans, better for forest health. Traditional industries fear the competition and possible increased costs.
Bioeconomies is looking for new uses of wood and fibre based on the forest management plans. If the tree is the resource that can be shared between different mills and communities, and some part of the tree can no longer be used because of the market changes, there must be new uses for that part of the tree that has now been freed up to conform to forest management plan. Building new mills to take advantage of these new market opportunities might mean older mills fall out of use or there is now competition for that part of the tree.
Capital investment is required for these new mills or potential fibre uses. A feasibility study is underway by Clergue Forest Management, looking at the Algoma Forest and the Martel Forest.
Market already exists for these new uses example wood pellet stoves. What happens when/if older mills try to come back online?
Good forest planning and management is required and needed.
How do you bring in new technologies and completely new industries? Will they become part of the Northern economy? where will the traditional industries continue to fit, if at all?
There are spin offs and new initiatives that would be viable...they will be symbiotic with traditional industry, which is in a downturn now but will come back as demand increases again. The forest is sustainable if managed properly. They will be there in perpetuity, but how forest is harvested and why will change over time.
Is it inevitable that newer industries will be less lucrative for communities and workers? New technologies also means fewer workers required, usually.
Sault Ste Marie is a centre for forestry research. What are the impacts coming out of these two forestry research labs? There is field research going on that will have an impact on forestry practices, on bio-fuel developments and conversion of biomass into diesel fuel. This is tremendously valuable technology. This is evolving right now, there are many opportunities to re-created the forestry industry.
If the technology is developed here, how can it be commercialised here? this is a tremendous advantage to have this research happening here. The right people are here, there is impetus coming from the green initiatives the city of Sault Ste Marie is championing.
