Transforming Canada's forest products industry

Book excerpt: Transforming Canada's foresT ProduCTs indusTry Summary of findings from the Future Bio-pathways Project february, 2010 Transforming Canada's foresT ProduCTs indusTry | february, 2010 The Case for aCTion About the Bio-pathways As the global economy slowly emerges from Project the worst recession in generations, continuing job losses in Canada's forest products industry The Forest Products Associati [...] A year-long study commissioned by FPAC's goal is to enable Canada's forest 1 the Forest Products Association of Canada products industry to profit from the bio- (FPAC) on the industry's prospects - the economy in order to sustain and create Future Bio-pathways Project - reveals that jobs, increase revenues and create Canada's forest products industry has the a healthier environment that benefits p [...] While some parts resource, the number of new technologies on of the industry will continue to struggle, others the cusp of commercialization and Canada's have the potential to excel and capture new global leadership in sustainable forestry, markets in a world hungry for clean energy, Canada has the potential to become a bio- green jobs and climate change solutions. [...] ProjeCT aPProaCh To help the forest products industry make sound decisions based on research evidence, To ensure the study would reflect the current the FPAC project focused its initial investiga- realities confronting Canada's forest products tion along three lines of inquiry to: industry and that the findings would be relevant to the industry's needs, researchers • Gauge the market readiness of [...] While the bio-energy and bio-chemical markets are still in their infancy, the study Among the most encouraging findings - the concluded that a number of technologies hold lumber sector is the cornerstone to the com- considerable promise and are worth serious petitiveness of the traditional and emerging exploration.